After winning the hearts of the Telugu audiences as an antagonist in Rajamoulis Eega, Kannada superstar Sudeep has become a well known face here.

Pahilwaan is the first pan India movie for him. Sudeep is one of fittest male stars in India and the story of a wrestler is apt for him.

Director Krishna has done his homework right as per as picking up the characterization of a wrestler for Sudeep but he has erred in writing the engaging screenplay.

The scenes and situations may appeal to the core Kannada fan base of Sudeep but when the film is pitched as a Pan India movie, the writing department and the director should have come up with a better romantic thread as well as emotional sequences that would connect to the larger audiences. 

Devoting the entire first half to establish the bond between Suniel Shetty, Sudeep with hackneyed situations and weaving an outdated romantic track between Sudeep and Aakanksha has spoiled the interest.

Luckily, the film gets its real momentum after the interval when the emotional gulf happens between Sudeep and Suniel Shetty. 

The wrestling fights in the later portion area also very appealing since the emotional angle is added here unlike in the first half.

The first half gives us the impression that the movie is all about winning the championship but it soon turns into a serious drama with a social message. This has changed the overall impact of the movie for good.

Before appreciating the final portions, you have to bear all the lousy scenes in the beginning and outdated comic situations.

The film eventually becomes a Bhadrachalam meets Sultan meets Kick. Nevertheless, it has worked to an extent in the penultimate portions.

Pahilwaan is a film targeted for mass audiences and it is filled with such sequences that are good. But the rest of the drama is full of formulaic. 

On the whole, Pahilwaan is a mishmash of several Telugu and Hindi movies in the backdrop of wrestling. This is strictly for mass audiences.