Reviews On Demand: Kavaludaari

This review has been written on a special demand by my friend Pushpendu.

Year Of Release: 2019

Country: India

Language: Kannada

*This article contains mild spoilers*

 

Plotline: –

After some bones are found in a construction site in Bangalore and the police refuses to investigate, Shyam (Rishi), a traffic policeman, decides to take it up independently with the help of a local journalist named Kumar (Achyut Kumar). With careful studying, he zeroes upon a forty year old missing persons’ case for which he seeks the help of the then residing (and now retired) officer Muthanna (Anant Nag). But with the case being so old and the evidences scanty, will Shyam and co find the light through it?

 

What I liked about the film: –

Kavaludaari from its basic premise makes it evident that it’s a murder mystery and for such a film its suspense factor is largely deterministic of its quality. To the viewer’s delight, it doesn’t disappoint on these grounds and even when the mystery is unraveled well before the denouement, its thrilling third act delectably compensates for the new gap. But this Hemant Rao directorial doesn’t just offer its viewers a generic suspense thriller to chew up, rather it makes efforts in building its characters and their perceptional strengths. The humanness of the people involved in the story is fleshed out well enough in a responsible amalgamation of both sentimentalities and realism. The investigative leads do not exhibit any superhuman intelligence as against the likes of the Holmes, the Poirots or even the Bakshis who’d softly denigrate the layman viewer with their enviably perfect observation and deduction skills. Shyam and Muthanna showcased none of these and despite being good in their investigation, they were also exposed to their own fallacies making the narrative more relatable to a normal viewer. Even the cinematography, editing and sound have been kept far from the usual commercial embellishments which works well in the line of the overall screenplay and direction. But it’s the performances of the actors namely Rishi, Nag, Kumar and Sampath that overshine the film’s narrative as well as its technical aspects. The guide-protégé camaraderie between Shyam and Muthanna is an unexpected highlight of Kavaludaari and have been well performed by the actors. Kumar’s portrayal of a failed alcoholic journalist and Sampath’s rendition as the antagonist are also spot on. Giving able support to the men are Suman Ranganathan and Roshni Prakash who make the best of their roles in their brief appearances.

 

My issues with the film: –

To be honest when the bones were first discovered in the course of the first act which was eventually clarified to be a common discovery by one of the characters, I believed that the plot of the movie would focus on a larger nexus of murderers or robbers much like it was in Theeran. But Shyam chose only one particular case to be pursued out of probably a hundred and how he chooses the same is also depicted on vague grounds. A similar view can be extended on the inclusion of the character Madhuri in the film. Neither did her presence add much to the narrative except time nor was her character satisfactorily sketched and I was consternated as to why she would throw tantrums at a policeman and even worse flirt with him when he approaches her to discuss a murder case. Ranganathan who plays the role of Madhuri has done a fairly good job and while the film will be a shining entry in her resume, her character (and as a result her performance) won’t remotely make it in the discussions. Then there have been directional errors from Hemant Rao such as the entire death sequence of Madhuri, the attack on Muthanna’s house and his subsequent fightback, the threatening of Muthanna by one of the politician’s goons in his vehicle, among others. The character arc of Kumar also had issues given his importance in the final act but I wouldn’t be divulging into the details here because it would give away some major spoilers.

 

Final Verdict: –

Kavaludaari is a satisfying murder mystery flick if not a perfect one. The lack of finesse in its writing and its direction are not undiscernible and the elongated runtime also weighs upon the movie at times. Nonetheless, its subtle references to human flaws and political influence over the lives of common people as well as the law enforcers are simply amazing and many a times even relatable. Watch it out for its acting and compelling storytelling.

 

RATING: 3.5/5