Aachar & Co

Watched the Kannnada movie ' Achar and Company '. A light hearted comedy set in the 60's and 70's. Totally relatable banters between brothers and sisters of 5 plus siblings. Felt like an evening well spent and a must watch. It's a retro feel good retro movie which got me memories of my childhood, our struggles on employment and money. Yet we were totally and emotionally bonded. The Protagonist Suma Achar has done a wonderful job in portraying her character.

In a large joint family how the relationships blossom between the siblings and how the equations change is very well depicted. Music score is good and the songs and lyrics are meaningful and catchy.

Top class direction with able support from all actors. After a long time I was gasping for more of the story to unfold. Felt sad to leave the family of Achar and Company.

WARNING: Beware - The movie has no fighting, Romance, sex, Villain, nudity. It is a pure family entertainer. You can sit with your granny, daughter and watch it, laugh and enjoy the movie. It is a feel good movie.

It is coming of age of the siblings of a middle class, traditional joint family of the 1960s Bangalore. How they manage to face adverse situations and find a way out. The script avoids all possible melodramas and takes forward the story in a light hearted manner. The dialogues are very refreshing, two songs are very popular and picturised very well. Sindhu Sreenivasamurthy in her first attempt as Director/Writer/Actor has done a marvelous job. Ably supported by all the new actors like Anirudh, and seasoned Ashok and Sudha Belavadi. The cinematography by Abhimanyu is excellent, so also Music by Bindu Malini. Trilok as lyricist and dialogue writer has won the hearts.

After a long time Kannada Film Industry has got a good clean family film. PRK productions and Ashwini Puneet also deserves congratulations for believing in new comers. It has paid rich dividend.

Overall the movie is too good and deserves support from the audience. The director, as for as I know, is the youngest Actor/Writer/Director in the Indian cinema.

First off need to give credit where its due, thanks to non other than our one and only Power star Puneeth Rajkumar for PRK Productions. His vision for contributing to such movies and openness to welcome new age Directors and actors is matched by no one. Almost everyone else wants it to be big and noisy but he choose to throw weight to such movies where the characters come to light with stories and ability to showcase true talent of what acting is all about. Thank you Sir, even though you are gone you surely are living among us with producing such movies. We need movies like these which compliments originality and authenticity. Director has really ticked all the right boxes by ensuring to keep characters simple and elegant and let the story talk.

Kudos to everyone associated with this movie,

This has a fairytale-like quality to it, be it in the storytelling style or the frames. Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, whom I recall seeing in 2020's French Biriyani, showcases her love for everything retro and takes us back to '60s & '70s Bangalore, when it carried the vibe of an aesthetically pleasing hill station, while also being a bustling city. It talks of an era where interpersonal relationships (and togetherness), especially between siblings and family members, held utmost importance. The visuals have an inherently vintage beauty to them, and this is majorly the case in interior shots where you get to feast your eyes on intricate household items, decor, and delicious-looking food.

From a plot perspective, Aachar & Co takes us through the journey of ten siblings and their process of dealing with life as part of an orthodox household in Bangalore. I'm guessing the greatest challenge would've been to find real locations to depict the city in those times. The art department has (mostly) done a fine job, and only in very few shots did I feel a momentary jump to the modern day. Casting less-known faces in primary roles also helps establish a faster connection with their characters. In many ways, the writing celebrates the resilience of its women characters, trying to break gender stereotypes, and it is evident in the way Suma gradually (and organically) evolves into the film's protagonist.

Music is also a key ingredient here. Right from the altered version of Suprabhatam in the very beginning, the music underlines both the funny and the emotional scenes. The "Pickle Song" inventively uses kitchen utensils to create a truly unique sound. Some narrative choices did baffle me a little, like the elder brother's absence, especially in the second half, and the film chooses to go for a supremely optimistic finale where all is well. But I fully felt the warmth of being in the Aachar household and would've loved to be a silent member who gets to feast on all the snacks from that locked shelf. I'm really excited to see what Sindhu Srinivasa Murthy does next!

Family entertainer has a lot of giggleworthy earthy Bengaluru feeling. This is a movie to be watched with the parents as almost every 50+ member will have a similar experience to narrate.

Primary characters have been well etched out by the writers. The movie does NOT have crass, double meaning content. Director lets slip a lot of moments where she could have made you shed a tear but intentionally so. Showing emotions without drama is something Indian directors have pick up and this director has excellent control over the craft. This does great good to the mood of the film.

Technically cinematography, art, costume and make-up work have done a great job given the constraints of the budget. The subtle ageing of characters is well captured. The music binds the movie very well. Bindumalini's OST and Songs are too good. It is time that we get to hear her more frequently. Her work elevates the humour. It is a pity that we no longer get to buy CDs of such good work. All the actors have done great justice to the roles but Anirudh Acharya stands out as Senior Jaggu (equal credit to actor and writer here). He has been able to carry wit and goofiness with great ease.

The casting is perfect. You would be able to relate the faces and compare them with wedding albums of your parents/grand parents.

As director, Writer and protoganist - Sindhu has come out a winner in all her responsibilities. The movie is short as per Indian norms. The viewers left the hall thinking aloud that the it could have been a bit longer. A compliment to the editor and such a welcome change to Indian Cinema.

I would recommend this movie to be watched in the big screen along with every senior citizen in the family. I can assure you the weekend following, you would end up having long calls discussing the movie and past generations.