Film: "Anna Bond"; Cast: Puneet Raj Kumar, Priyamani, Nidhi Subbaiah, Rangayana Raghu, Jackie Shroff, Gurudatt, Avinash, Neenasam Achyutha and others; Director: Suri; Producer: Parvathamma Raj Kumar; Art Director: Sahshidhara Adapa; Camera: Sathya Hegde; Music Director: Hari Krishna; Rating: ** 1/2

May 5: The hugely awaited film "Anna Bond", starring the Kannada film industry's superstar Puneet Raj Kumar and directed by Suri, was expected to be a continuation of success story of their previous film "Jackie".

Unfortunately "Anna Bond", which has shades of "Jackie", does not stand up to the pre-release hype and expectations. The film is not even a "paisa vasool" masala entertainer. It is a boring action movie.

Suri has not only directed the film, he has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues for the film.

The major drawback is weak screenplay. Suri, known for his interesting narration, fumbles heavily on this score. Dialogues bring in some laughter in the first half.

The proceedings in the first half are tolerable, but after that it is a combination of dragging elements and illogical sequences. It lacks continuity.

Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, who plays a baddie in the film, doesn't impress. His dubbing is not so good and his performance is ordinary.

The highlights are extraordinary action and song sequences and Puneet Raj Kumar's dialogue delivery. Puneet is brilliant in action sequences and the last two action scenes are mind blowing.

Even the film's heroine Priyamani, who lost weight for this role, looks stunning in dance sequences. But tedious narration and a weak screenplay overshadow these positive factors. The entire second half is so confusing that it will disappoint viewers.

In the film, Bond Ravi meets Meera while she is shooting real life incidents for a documentary.

Bond Ravi and colleague Chapathi Babu are on a secret mission. They are searching for criminals and want to punish them.

Meanwhile, Bond Ravi falls in love with Meera and wants to marry her, but he is afraid of expressing his feelings. Meera's father's associates who are trying to track down an international drug peddler, Charlie, take him.

But Charlie has come to India on another mission. He wants to get the custody of his daughter who has been adopted by Meera's father. In a fit of rage and confusion, Charlie kills his real daughter and then attempts to kill Meera and her father. How Bond Ravi saves Meera and kills Charlie forms the rest of the story.

Puneet pleases his fans with an overdose of action. His extraordinary dance movements and dialogue delivery are another plus factor.

Rangayana Raghu is exceptional as usual, but Nidhi Subbaiah has been wasted. Jackie is a big let down. All the other artists are just okay.

Hari Krishna has managed to deliver a few likeable tunes like "Thumba Nodbedi" and "Boni Aagadha Hrudaya", but the remix number "Kaanadhanthe Maayavaadano" is disappointing.

However H.K.'s background score is top class. Sathya Hegde has done a fantastic job behind the camera. The film is good in the technical department.

"Anna Bond" could have been a treat for fans, but it just ends up as an ordinary commercial venture with a weak script. Puneet salvages the film to an extent.