Common Man is a 2026 Indian Kannada-language political drama film directed by Om Sai Prakash and produced by N. Narasimha Murthy under the banner of Surabhi Films.
The film stars Gowrishankar SRG, Shona Ladva, Sabby Suri, N. Narasimha Murthy, Ashok and Ramesh Bhat.
Plot The film follows an ordinary man who unexpectedly becomes the Chief Minister of Karnataka without contesting an election. After assuming office, he attempts to address the problems faced by ordinary citizens while confronting political opposition, conspiracies and powerful interests.
Cast
Gowrishankar SRG as Kumar Kamsale Shona Ladva Sabby Suri N. Narasimha Murthy Ashok Ramesh Bhat Bala Rajwadi Prakash Thuminad Nagendra Urs P. D. Satish Chandra
Production The film was directed by Om Sai Prakash, with N. Narasimha Murthy and Om Sai Prakash credited with the story. Om Sai Prakash wrote the screenplay. The cinematography was handled by J. G. Krishna and Deepak Kumar J. K., while M. Muniraju edited the film.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was composed by Vinay Chandra, with lyrics written by V. Nagendra Prasad and Sai Sarvesh. The soundtrack features four songs sung by Kailash Kher, Baba Sehgal, Javed Ali, Shruthi Prahlad, Chaithra J. Achar and Vinay Chandra. The songs were released in September 2026 ahead of the film's theatrical release.
"Betona Betona" was released in September 2026 and features vocals by Baba Sehgal and Ankita Kundu. "Nan Hesaru Saniya" was released on 20 September 2026, featuring Chaithra J. Achar and Vinay Chandra. "Khakhi Khadi", sung by Kailash Kher, was released on 23 September 2026. Its lyrics were written by V. Nagendra Prasad, and the song was composed by Vinay Chandra.
Release Common Man was released theatrically in India on 25 September 2026.
Reception Common Man received positive reviews from ET Now, which rated the film 4 out of 5. The review praised Gowrishankar SRG's grounded performance and described Sona Ladwa's performance as impressive. It also highlighted the performances of N. Narasimha Murthy and the supporting cast, as well as the film's music, cinematography and editing. TV9 Kannada appreciated the film's political satire but criticised its conventional narration and lack of originality in the storyline. It gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5. Cinema Express praised Common Man for its political storyline and straightforward narration, while noting that some scenes relied heavily on explanatory dialogue.
Vijayavani praised the film's premise but noted that its screenplay and execution could have been improved. It also appreciated Gowrishankar's performance and the film's commercial elements. The New Indian Express praised the film's political storyline and Gowrishankar's performance. It noted that the film presented its political themes in an accessible manner for general audiences, while criticising its use of subplots and dialogue to explain certain aspects of the story. Bangalore Mirror criticised the film's direction and screenplay, stating that the narrative could have been more natural and concise. However, it praised Gowrishankar's performance, his dialogue delivery, Vinay Chandra's music and the cinematography.
References
External links