Which came first, the disturbing or the disturbed, the present or the future? This is a difficult film for me to assay. I'd say this is one of the few Indian movies that left me mystified when I walked out of cinema hall. I have to give this movie credit for coming out of nowhere to give us something like Kannada audience have never seen before, but that doesn't mean that we will like it.
Sometimes there is a fine balance between art and pretension and, for me, this movie weighs in on the latter side. The sole reason would be lacking appeal shown by the actors, they didn't quite draw me in and lot of scenes were a turn-off for the eye and mind. The music sucked and it didn't accompany the emotion of the script.
I know Independent film-making is a challenge and sometimes filmmakers have to deal with twaddle actors and unsubstantial budget. So I'm not surprised that Varthamana gets a slating. Still, it's a noteworthy, avant-garde and an experimental landmark for Kannada cinema. For fellow slow cinema devotees, MS Prakash Babu's "Attihannu Mattu Kanaja" (2014) is worth a look.
In short, If you want predictable narrative structure, please don't give it a go. A word of caution though. This one really requires patience. You need to immerse yourself into its vortex. What works here is the thinking cap and congrats to Umesh Amshi for the research he has put in to create this film with beleaguered leads. Wishing it finds its niche in film festivals and a spot on the radar of experimental film lovers.
