Agnyathavasi

Set in the tranquil village of Nalkeri in the late 1990s, Agnyathavasi explores the themes of guilt and forgiveness through the lens of a rural crime thriller. When a murder after 25 years shakes the village, a nameless inspector (Rangayana Raghu) - also a farmer - begins his investigation, opening the doors to an unresolved crime from the 1970s.

Director Janardhan Chikkanna, known for Gultoo, steps into new terrain with this layered narrative. While the first half is slow and dedicated to character building, the second half grips you with its emotional depth and suspense. The film shines in its detailing of the Malenadu region and its nostalgic 90s setting.

Performances are top-notch:

Rangayana Raghu is excellent and carries the film effortlessly.

Ravishankar Gowda surprises with a restrained and poetic performance.

Siddu Moolimani, Paavana Gowda, and Sharath Lohitashwa deliver strongly in their roles.

Technically, the movie excels - Adwaith Gurumurthy's cinematography is immersive, and Charan Raj's background score elevates the experience. The songs blend well with the narrative.

Drawback: The core thriller element lacks the punch expected from the genre, especially in the reveal. However, the film's philosophical undertone sets it apart.

Verdict: An out-of-the-box attempt that merges crime, emotions, and introspection. Agnyathavasi isn't your regular thriller - it's a meditative slow burn for those who seek stories with soul.

This is a simple story of few people in a village, there are no big things here, no exaggeration, no extra ordinary human to save distressed people, it's just a small, simple story and ordinary story. BUT the screenplay is so brilliant it'll keep you alert on the ongoing story, the back and forth narration of episodes keeps the brain vigilant while the eyes get to experience soothing backgrounds, beautiful misty scenery, aesthetic frames. All the actors have done their best while keeping it all natural, relatable and simple. Shout-out must be given to the writer who kept the circumstances, characters and situations apt to the plot. The story buildup between characters are effortless, logical and befitting, there's no unusual events happening upto third quarter of the story, the last quarter is what bothers me. Great story, awesome screenplay, brilliant actors, they could have finished it with out of the box events, everything was built up perfectly for a thrilling ending but it rather unfolds into predictable events or slightly unusual events. The climax is what I believe is a lost opportunity but everything except that is beautiful, worthwhile and well executed. I'm not going to rate the movie low for a lukewarm ending, Kannada industry needs such skilled artists who deserves to be supported despite few errors. I have hopes for the future of KFI by such team and individual artists.

Walked into an empty theatre for "Agnyathavasi"-just me, my popcorn, and approximately 100 empty seats. Felt appropriate, honestly. This is a film that breathes sighs, with fractured timelines and Malnad mist. It was quiet-strikingly so for this genre. No bombast, no gratuitous violence, just Thai New Wave restraint with a hint of South American cop drama simmering beneath. And then there's our main lead, Actor Raghu, he totally carries this flick. Without him, it'd be all atmosphere and no pulse.

But here's the kicker: you've seen this plot before. The cliches pile up, feeling a bit dusty, much like the police station in the film. So yeah, nothing's exactly wrong, but the screenplay just needed more punch. Of course, the film wants to make guilt simmer, and we get the point-the title is apt-but it stretches thin, losing its grip. There's also a song that drops out of nowhere, the concept was good, but it was a major mood killer because it lightened the narrative, settling for something safe. Those shades of grey, those tough moral calls, they could've hit harder, lingered longer, really making you feel it. Instead, Janardhan Chikkanna hedges his bets: half-arthouse melancholy, half-mainstream concession. (The same fate as "Roopanthara", another Kannada film I reviewed, which faced a similar dilemma.)

The whole chicken and computer angle felt a tad too convenient, a bit of a deus-ex machina. While it's meant to bridge the distance between characters and resolve things, it ultimately led to a predictable widening of relationships. And again, the clichés kept piling up, right to the very end, making the outcome easy to foresee. But yes, some shots were staged interestingly, which conveyed more than meets the eye.

Strangely, while watching, I couldn't help but draw parallels to 'Whaler Boy", a brilliant film where the arrival of the internet fundamentally alters the village. (I wrote about that one too, if you're curious; it's on IMDb.)

In closing, go in with low expectations. The cinematography does capture the stark, secretive landscape beautifully. But do watch out for Rangayana Raghu; he truly stands out. He embodies the alienation and guilt, trapped in his own personal melodrama that festers within him until the very end.

Agnyatavasi is an excellent thriller, the movie starts off slow but slowly get us into their world. Charan raj bgm is brilliant, cinematography is top notch, the story telling uses a Rashomon method which worked out very well. The theatre experience is definitely amazing! Thanks for the team for bringing this movie to Kannada movie industry. The performance by each and everyone is truly marvellous, they are all into the character and the fun elements are actually fun which is very less but it is fine for this type of movie. Didn't feel anything is unnecessary scene The Final Cut is perfect, Thanks Haemanth for trusting this team and bringing this to theatres.

They are marketing movie saying good content but movie is very slow and nothing much interesting. Cant be called as thriller as there is no thrill. Except good acting of the seasoned actors nothing much to expect from this movie. Had high expectations from director of Gultoo Janardhan and producer Hemanth , but turned out to be an ordinary movie. Definitely not a worth watch in theatre and can be a one time watch in ott if no better option . Film is shot in very good locations and the cinematography is good. Background music is ordinary which could have been better to compliment ordinary story.