Tag Archives: Kannada

Lucia (2013)

Posted on by

Lucia

Kannada film Lucia premiered at the London Indian Film Festival last year and went on to win the Audience Best Film award.   Watching the film it’s easy to understand why it created such a stir with a story that keeps you intrigued and guessing right up to the last frame.  Writer/director Pawan Kumar has made an intelligent non-linear film, where the boundaries between reality and dreams blur and nothing is really as it seems.  Even more surprising is the fact that the film was crowd-funded and made on a tight budget – hard to believe when every scene drips quality and attention to detail.

The film charts the story of Nikki (Sathish Neenasam), a torch shiner, or what I would call an usher, in a small run-down cinema.  The owner Shankranna (Achyuth Kumar) mostly treats Nikki as a son, getting involved in his search for a bride while Nikki similarly feels an obligation to look after Shankranna. When we first meet Nikki he is suffering from insomnia, perhaps not surprising as he lives with 4 rather large guys in a small single room.  The cinematography here is excellent, conveying a sense of claustrophobia, sweltering heat and the difficulties of living in such close proximity just with a few brief moments and a shot of a washing line!

LuciaLuciaLuciaLucia

 

One night, on one of his restless meanders, Nikki meets up with two men who introduce him to Lucia.  Lucia isn’t a person, but rather is the name of a sleeping tablet which has the added bonus of causing lucid dreams.  Soon Nikki is falling asleep anywhere and everywhere, and just as we follow his life while he is awake, we also follow his lucid dreaming.

LuciaLuciaLuciaLucia

 

 

 

Needless to say, in his dreams, Nikki isn’t a torch shiner in a run-down movie theatre, but instead he’s a film hero with a successful career.  Just as often happens in the world of dreams, various people from Nikki’s waking life also show up in his dream world.  Shankranna is his manager for instance, while his room-mates are cameramen and assistants and his real-life fiancée is his girlfriend.  But in this alternate reality Nikki is being chased by some men for money, although it’s not exactly clear who is behind the extortion attempts or why they are after Nikki.  This echoes his waking world, where Shankranna is being threatened by some gangsters who believe he owes them money.

The two stories, waking and dream-world are kept separate and distinguishable as one is filmed in colour, and the other in black and white.  Torch shiner Nikki is an uneducated guy who lives a simple life, but from his interactions with the people around him he seems like a ‘nice guy’. The other Nikki is a star and expects all the privileges that go along with his status, like his own private home theatre and being able to rent an entire bar for a night out.  Pawan’s Kumar’s script and Sathish Neenasam’s acting make the two personalities seem quite different at the outset, although both obviously different sides of the same person, but as the story develops the two Nikki’s become more and more similar.  Star Nikki is clean shaven but adopts a scruffy beard for an item number which makes him look more like torch shiner Nikki, while torch shiner Nikiki shaves off his beard and starts to look like star Nikki to try and impress his fiancée.

vlcsnap-2014-04-14-18h16m49s162LuciaLuciaLucia

 

The linking thread is a murder investigation being run by the local Kannada police and a special investigator (Sanjay), who has come from Mumbai.  Concurrent to the two stories, this third narrative shows Nikki lying in hospital in a coma.  There is no information about how he ended up on life support but there are clues along the way with the various violent threats and the way the police investigation focuses on the drug Lucia.  I was impressed to see a more realistic than usual approach to medicine, even spotting the chief investigator using functional MRI scans as part of his research, although much of the diagnoses belong firmly in the realm of science fiction.  However it all fits with the rest of the story and the theme of drug addiction suits the more outlandish sequences.

LuciaLuciaLuciaLucia

 

One of the reasons the film is so compelling is the way the two worlds blend together while still being completely separate. The same people appear in each although they have different roles.  However the people who support Nikki in one are also supportive in the other, and the bad guys are always the bad guys. There is also the intrigue of wanting to know how Nikki ends up in hospital and who was responsible as the murder investigation slowly builds up clues into a possible solution.  The screenplay is excellent and balances the different tracks perfectly to ensure that there is always something new added to the overall picture but enough mystery to keep up the suspense.

LuciaLuciaLuciaLuciaLuciaLucia

 

I also can’t praise cinematographer Siddhartha Nuni enough for his amazing camera work and clever framing.  There are some great effects too as the camera slides from one world to another or when the worlds meet through a mirror.  The film looks stunning and there are no signs of the low budget on the technical side.  Another plus is the clever integration of Poornachandra Tejaswi’s excellent songs into the film.  These vary from being part of star Nikki’s filming to standard road trip songs, and yet they all add another dimension to the story.  In fact it’s hard to find any fault with Lucia.  The performances are all spot on and Sathish in particular is very impressive in his portrayal of the two Nikki’s.  His arrogance and selfishness as the star are perfectly balanced by his humility and kindness as the ordinary man.

It’s not just the storyline of the film that’s enthralling.  There are many nuances and issues raised with the theme of drug addictions and references to the loss of self with stardom.  The difficulties of a small single screen cinema are also raised against the backdrop of crime and extortion in the industry.  There is so much going on at many different levels that I seem to see more and more in each scene every time I watch the film, which makes the fifth watch just as captivating as the first.  Lucia is a rare gem of originality and sheer brilliance in an industry that more often relies on stock storylines and formulaic plots.  There is quality in every frame, every performance and every line, making this a film that really shouldn’t be missed. 5 stars.

 

Beru

Posted on by

Beru deals with the theme of corruption in local government, but rather than looking at political scheming and the wheeling and dealing of men in charge, the action here focuses on a small rural office and local concerns. Director P. Sheshadri has a background in journalism and documentary film making which is perhaps why he focuses on day-to-day life in a rural community in such a realistic manner. His attention to detail and well-developed characters make Beru an engaging film despite the sometimes heavy-handed symbolism used to get his point across.

The Root of the title refers literally to the root of a large tree which is threatening the home of local folk artist Goravayya (Venkata Rao) but also symbolically to the deep-seated corruption within the local government office. The film shows that this corruption is so deeply entrenched at even the most fundamental level of administration that by the end it seems totally impossible that such dishonesty can ever be eradicated. However it’s not all doom and gloom. There is plenty of humour in the dialogue by writer J.M. Prahlad and even in some of the more trivial problems faced by the central characters.

Venkateshiah (H.G. Dattathreya) is the head clerk in the government office in Karadigudda and has been filling in for the role of chief officer while they wait for a replacement from Mysore. He is nearing retirement and has the burden of 2 more daughters to marry on what he considers to be a meagre salary.

Nothing within the office seems to be done without money passing hands and, as always seems to be the case with any government, reams and reams of paperwork. But with the arrival of new and enthusiastic chief officer Raghunandan (Sucheendra Prasad) it seems as if things may change. Symbolically on his arrival Raghunandan orders the office to be thoroughly cleaned, even going to the extent of taking out his own handkerchief to dust a picture of Gandhi. He’s young, almost painfully honest and his opening speech to his staff is full of ideals, which from their expressions seem unlikely to gain much ground. Once Raghunandan starts going through the books he finds more and more evidence of petty fraud and indications that bureaucracy frequently has taken the place of common sense.

His wife Suma (Neeta) is equally appalled by the government residence that they have been allocated. She is unable to cope with invasions of the local wildlife, and also feels lonely and isolated since she is more used to city life. Raghunandan on the other hand seems to love the local countryside and appears to relish the idea of life away from the crowds of Mysore for a few years. The relationship between Raghunandan and Suma helps to define their characters and also provides a contrast to that of Venkateshiah and his wife, although in the end both wives encourage their husbands in their various deceptions.

At the same time, local folk-singer and Gorava dancer Goravayya is trying to get permission to cut the root of a tree which is threatening to destroy his house. Goravayya has adopted an orphan Gowri and the two go from house to house begging and giving blessings in the name of Shiva. As part of her investiture Gowri has taken oaths not to lie or steal emphasising the vast difference between Goravayya and the government officials he is attempting to deal with. He is a simple man living a simple life and won’t even consider cutting the tree root without permission from the appropriate authority, But every time he tries to approach Venkateshiah or anyone else from the office, he is brushed aside as his problem is not considered important.

After just a few days in his new job, Raghunandan receives word that the minister will be coming to visit and he is required to survey the local inspection bungalow (IB) where the minister will stay. However no-one seems to know anything about the IB, including its location, despite the fact that over the preceding years funds have been sent for both its renovation and upkeep.

Raghunandan refuses to be fobbed off with excuses that the IB is dilapidated and needs to be replaced and insists on finding out the truth. But what he discovers sets his own path down the slippery slope of dishonesty as he succumbs to appeals from his wife and Venkateshiah’s family to hide the truth. He sinks deeper and deeper into the murk of corruption as he tries to deal with increasingly pressing demands from his head office.

Goravayya is enticed to help with promises that this will ensure a speedy resolution to his problem but it becomes very clear that Venkateshiah never had any thought in his head other than to save his own skin.

What appeals about this film is the ordinariness of the characters who react in very human and realistic ways. I believe in the inherent selfishness of people and this is exactly how the majority of the characters act to a greater or lesser extent.  Sucheendra is excellent as the meticulous and fastidious Raghunandan. I think he captures the essence of his character in the way that he always has a glass of water on his desk sitting on a coaster, with another coaster on top to keep out dust and flies. Having a drink of water then becomes something of a ritual and this is the type of attention to detail by Sheshadri that I appreciated. Raghunandan seems to be the quintessential government official in the way he uses a bell to summon the porter or his typist and is totally oblivious to the activities in the main office since he only deals with his immediate subordinate Venkateshiah. I had a summer job in the civil service back when I was a student and this bureaucratic hierarchy is quite familiar!

Dattathreya is also impressive as Venkateshiah and my changing feelings towards his character are a reflection of how well he portrayed the role. Venkateshiah initially appears as a man beset by financial problems which he uses to justify his misappropriation of funds and I initially felt sorry for him. But as he struggles to keep his job and entreats Raghunandan to save his retirement fund, his innate selfishness becomes more and more apparent until by the end his actions are quite revolting. The one jarring note is the way Raghunandan seems to go along with Venkateshiah’s final plans as this didn’t seem to fit into my reading of his character, even allowing for his fall from grace.

All the other actors are excellent in their roles and despite his very simple nature I loved Goravayya and the way he cared for Gowri.  There are only a few songs and they are mainly folk-songs pictured on Goravayya and Gowri which generally fits the story. This song explains why he dresses the way he does and he sings it to Suma after he has frightened her by suddenly appearing at her house. Awesome costume too!

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and can appreciate Sheshadri’s attempt to show just how deeply entrenched corruption seems to be in every aspect of government. Good performances and some lovely shots of the countryside by Ramchandra help to make the most of a simple but effective story. 4 ½ stars.

Temple says:

Beru is heavy handed in visual imagery and the corruption rife in local government is illustrated in many ways – some very effective and some also tedious and repetitive. The rural setting is lovely and the setting and small scale is a highlight. There are some excellent performances but the characters are not by and large people I could care about and their plight was largely self created.

Goravayya and Gowri represent simplicity and honesty, and both the characters and actors are appealing. Thank heaven for that as the rest of the characters are pretty repellent. Raghunandan is a career man who wants to keep his hands clean and make his way up the food chain. While he mouths lines about serving the people, he has nothing to do with the general populace or his staff and spends his time alone in his office or isolated in his home. The slightest whiff of trouble for his own career has him covering his butt and the rules are discarded.  Suma uses family connections to protect Raghunandan’s career and he accepts that easily despite his supposed principles that made him refuse an offer to get him a better posting. Venkateshayya is reprehensible, a craven cheat and liar, yet the film gives implicit approval to at least some of his actions.

I don’t think anyone would be terribly surprised that there is corruption in any government. The many meaningless and unproductive layers of bureaucracy in the Indian civil service are legendary. I was hoping the film would do something more interesting than just cast up examples, but P Sheshadri repeatedly states the obvious without taking it anywhere. Beru drifts somewhere between being a message film and a misery memoir. The message could be ‘Don’t get caught’ or perhaps ‘God helps those who help themselves’. The end effect is a lot like listening to two hours of whinging by a bunch of largely unlikeable and self centred people. 3 stars.

Aa Dinagalu

Posted on by

Aa Dinagalu (Those Days) was one of the films recommended to me by the very helpful Jay at Kannada store  and it was an excellent pick. The film is based on experiences from the life of former gangster turned writer ‘Agni’ Sridhar and is an interesting depiction of life in the Bangalore underworld of the eighties. The gangsters are not glamorised at all, but are shown as real people with plenty of faults and eccentricities which ultimately lead to their respective downfalls. It’s not all about the gangsters though, as Aa Dinagalu also tells the story of a romance between two young people and how they end up being drawn into the gangsters’ world. The film won numerous awards including best director for newcomer K. M. Chaithanya, who does a great job here with the simple story.

The film starts with Chetan (Chetan) and his girlfriend Mallika (Archana) discussing how best to approach the topic of their marriage with Chetan’s family. They come from very different backgrounds; Chetan works for his high caste, rich, industrialist father, while Mallika’s is from a farming background and works as a dance instructor. Chetan is so enamoured of Mallika he thinks that his father will only need to meet her to be won over, but he has reckoned without his father’s determination that his only son should make a good match and certainly not marry a girl who is of a lower caste, let alone a few months older – the horror!

Girish Naik (Girish Karnad) has no compunction about hiring local gangster and current head of the Bangalore underworld Kotwal Ramachandra (Sharath Lohithashwa) to scare Mallika off, but the plan backfires when Chetan turns up just as the rowdies start to threaten Mallika. Chetan has inherited his father’s determination and decides to find out exactly why his girlfriend has been targeted by the city’s biggest don.

At the same time Kotwal’s main rival Jairaj (Ashish Vidyarthi) has just been released from 10 years in jail. In the seventies, Jairaj became the first don in Bangalore with the help of the chief minister and the politicians of the time, but during his enforced absence from the underworld his position was filled by Kotwal. On his release, Jairaj determines to get back his empire and destroy the upstart Kotwal in the process. Added in to the mix is ‘Oil’ Kumar (Achyuthan) who has a rather unusual opinion of the gangsters, especially considering he is paying protection money to both gangs. Oil Kumar is also working with police inspector Shivraj to get rid of both dons, perhaps planning to take their place and certainly maximise his profits. It’s all very businesslike and chilling as the gangsters approach their various henchmen to organise hits and deliver warnings while the police stand by and wait for the eventual winner to emerge.

After confronting his father and realising that he won’t back down, Chetan decides to try and get rid of Kotwal himself and approaches Jairaj for help. He’s young, rich and foolish so the gangster doesn’t take him seriously and brushes him off. However Chetan has links to the underworld through his childhood friend Sirdar who works for Kotwal’s gang. Through Sirdar he meets Bachchan and his friend Sridhar (Atul Kulkarni) who, despite working for Kotwal, are happy to conspire against him. Chetan gets dragged deeper and deeper into the underworld and the film changes focus from the love story to the conspiracy to kill Kotwal as it reaches the climax.

It’s a compelling story and it’s told very realistically without glorifying the gangsters or the violence in any way. At the end everyone has to pay for their actions, although the police seem to get away with their brutal methods of interrogation without any censure. The gangsters are shown to be primarily motivated by greed and Kotwal freely admits to Chetan that he only took on his ‘love affair’ because of the money he was paid. It’s a sordid and very unromantic view of the underworld.

Sharath Lohitashwa is outstanding as Kotwal and brings his idiosyncrasies and odd superstitions to life. Kotwal is a hunted man with barely controlled hair who lives in perpetual mistrust of everyone around him, apart from his chief lieutenant Shetty. He’s frightening in his detachment as he slashes the odd bystander just to increase his reputation and equally unnerving as he unburdens himself to Chetan and reveals just how dangerous he really is. Sharath Lohitashwa makes Kotwal a driven man with strange beliefs and he’s very scary indeed. I don’t think he ever smiles throughout the entire film and he just exudes menace in every frame!

Ashish Vidhyarthi is excellent as the more ‘typical’ gangster Jairaj; typical at least in the way that gangsters are often portrayed in films. He has the requisite seedy headquarters full of thugs extorting money and information from various unlucky individuals and corrupt officials bribing him for his support. Jairaj seems to be motivated by ego just as much as money, and he is ultra-confident, secure in his reputation and trusts the men around him. Quite a contrast to the more paranoid Kotwal, and Ashish Vidhyarthi gets Jairaj’s mix of arrogance and self-awareness just right.

It’s the dichotomy between the two men and the constant rivalry and suspicion between their gangs which keeps the film interesting. The various henchmen are all well cast and deliver convincing performances, especially Dinesh Mangalore in his role as Shetty. Unusually there are no big fight scenes in the film and the violence is generally implied rather than shown, serving to demonstrate the criminal activities of the gangsters rather than acting as mass entertainment. The threats of violence are however frightening in themselves and there is no doubt that the thugs are prepared to carry these threats through if necessary.

It’s noteworthy how the narrator Sridhar is portrayed as standing aloof from the others which I interpret as an inevitable consequence of writing your own story. However much Sridhar wants to keep to the truth it’s only natural to show himself in as good a light as possible, even if he doesn’t come away as totally squeaky clean either. Having watched this film I’ve been trying to track down a copy of his autobiography in English as the interviews I’ve managed to find are fascinating, and the rest of Sridhar’s story seems equally intriguing, but so far I haven’t managed to find it.

Sridhar is not a member of Kotwal’s gang and as we learn early on, hangs around with Bachchan to exact revenge on Kotwal for crippling his brother some years earlier. He’s shown as being much more intellectual, playing chess and reading books in English, and acts as the moral compass for the others. Sridhar, Chetan and Bachchan are generally depicted as more compassionate and likeable characters presumably to give their final actions more validity, but I do like that they still have to face the legal consequences of taking the law into their own hands and that there is no real winner in the end. Chetan’s youth makes him more impetuous and less afraid of the consequences of hanging around with gangsters and this is well shown by the young actor.

Archana gives a convincing portrayal of a young girl in love who is happy to support her lover until the situation gets too out of control. She really does look terrified and her decision to leave Chetan when she discovers his involvement with known gangsters rings true. While Chetan’s devotion is perhaps a little overdone at times, I think that Mallika’s character is well written and she acts true to her nature throughout.

The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer H. C. Venu although I doubt that the conspirators did meet in such wonderfully photogenic places as the inside of wells and underneath statues.

Although the film starts with a fairly standard story of thwarted romance, it quickly evolves into something much more interesting and the slower pace suits the gradual build-up of menace. There are only two songs in the film and both are well placed to show the romance between the young lovers and not get in the way of the action. The music by Ilayaraja is beautiful and evocative and seems to suit the time period, although it’s the lack of mobile phones that I think places the film in the eighties.

Chaitanya has vividly brought Sridhar’s screenplay to life and I really loved the way the various characters all bring something quite individual to the mix. It’s an interesting story that’s realistically depicted and I recommend it as an intriguingly different and worthwhile watch.  4 ½ stars.