Ulidavaru Kandanthe

Ulidavaru Kandante (As Seen by the Rest), one of the most anticipated movies in Kannada film industry in the year 2014 for me was a brilliant experience. Having waited for this movie for months, I went to the movie as soon as I could after the release. The movie had already created the hype required. However, it was not up to the expectation or maybe I expected more. The screenplay was adapted from Pulp fiction and moulded to make the general audience understand. The screenplay was indeed brilliant and was supported by brilliant performance by most of the pivotal characters, beautiful music and mind-blowing cinematography. However, the story was a bit weak. The title holds up to what is shown in the movie. The dialogues are brilliant but can be enjoyed only by those who know the coastal language. What bothered me was the attention to detail. Rakshit Shetty has tried not to ignore it but has failed to achieve "perfection". All said and done, I would still recommend the movie to everyone as it is worth watching in the cinemas.

This movie just sets the bar for the rest to come. Looking at the trailer I was looking forward to a good movie but this turned out to be a masterpiece. Honestly, you have to be familiar with movies like Pulp Fiction, Inception, Donnie Darko, Requiem for a Dream etc to show liking towards it, as this is not a typical Indian Cinema. Anyway, if you thought 'LUCIA' was cool, Just wait till you watch this!!.

Anyway, coming back to the movie. The story is plain and simple, it revolves around the death of a character and a reporter investigating it, writing down the perspectives of the others involved in the incident. What takes the cake though, is the direction, screenplay, acting and the background score. Simply Flawless!! Didn't expect that sort of direction from a debutant director.Simply amazing!!!. The film is divided into 6 chapters, each from a different point of view, revolving around the same time frame. The movie adds its own style and at the same time preserving the authenticity of the native regions. In ending is left to your interpretation.

Ulidavaru Kandanthe is a path breaking & landmark cinema in Indian Film industry. Hats off to Director Rakshit Shetty for such a brave attempt. The non linear story telling approach, the way coastal Karnataka life is captured, Actors who perfectly fit the incredible characters, World class Camera work and background score, everything is just perfect.

The film has Brilliant naturally shot Cinematography , Music like Tarantino Movies, truly outstanding Background score, Very intelligent Screen play, Amazing acting by most of the actors.

Its like Quentin Tarantino & Martin Scorsese coming together for a Indian movie.

Ulidavaru Kandanthe is not just a movie, it is a mind bending experience.

Hats off to Rakshith Shetty for delivering this product. KFI is changing big time over last two years, thanks to the fresh faces, stories, narration, direction. Ulidavaru Kandante (UK) excels in all the departments, the movie is a experience that one should go through and it makes you think which is very important. As someone said "A movie should not haunt you while watching, it should haunt you post watching" and UK falls in that. Acting wise everyone has done justice to the role, of them I like the acting of Thara and Achyuth Kumar the most. Achyuth Kumar is a very fine actor and now people are realizing his potential. I hope to see more movies with Achyuth Kumar with new comers. Overall, the movie is a great experience and I suggest every one who love "cinema" should watch this.

Will Ulidavaru Kandante..As seen by the rest succeed in offering new perspective in cinema ? The answer is probably "Yes".

In the past we did have scripts and films based from coastal-region but this is probably the first one to have captured attention from the rest of the places in the state and obviously the coast. The trailer and music both went viral getting accolades and now it is time for the full feature to be seen by the rest.

I have to admit that Rakshit Shetty's debut directorial venture transported me to Dakshina Kannada landscapes sitting right in center of Bangalore. The atmosphere lasted for over more than two hours. Rakshit has chosen a script which is well woven starting with the right note to capture your attention right from the first frame. Unlike prominent Kannada Cinema "Ulidavaru Kandante" gives more prominence to the characters. This is out and out a character driven script. There is a story to be told and the story is narrated quite interestingly. Multiple view points have been used in films for decades, its success or failure depends on the art and facility with which it can aid the story being told. Rakshit has grandly succeed in his efforts. In the past we have witnessed "Yuva", "Memento," "Hero," "Irreversible", "Amores Perros" that use various perceptions of facts. What these films all have in common is that the visual device used does not get in the way of the story but enhances it. "Ulidavaru Kandante" too falls in this league.

The film as such is presented in a chapter-wise manner where in each chapter allows you to explore each character visually. There is a reason why these characters exist in the space of the film. There are a few which could have been avoided. The actors have done a commendable job in giving life to the characters. Rakshit, Rishab, Kishore, Achyut in pivotal roles deserve appreciation. I know Achyut is not a native of Dakshina Kannada but the way he has presented himself just shows his strength and versatility. I recently watched few of his offbeat films and watching him in this role was a pleasure. Rakshit's "charisma", Rishab's "fear", Kishore's "feeling", Achyuta's feeling, fear and irritation with "Kaaki" will be remembered. The child actors also have pulled in splendid performance. Poojary, Tara, Sangita, Yagna and folks who have played Rakshit's accomplice have provided great support to the main characters. I believe this film will go down as one of the best acted films. The actors are so natural and casual it does not feel like they are really acting out on the screen.

Karm Chawla's cinematography, Ajaneesh's BG score, sync sound succeeds in providing the much necessary atmospheric experience. The coastal landscapes are brilliantly captured and presented. Having know these places personally it gives you a great feeling to watch them on big screen. The color scheming and VFX does need a special mention. Who would not want to try out the "Sin City" like shot? Wow! The BG score is haunting and goes well with the film. A couple of songs "Paper Paper" and "Gati" seems out of place as far as narrative is concerned. Probably this has more to do with commercial aspects. "Kanna Muchhe", "Kaakig Banna" match with the narrative. Especially the way they have brought in "Kaakig Banna" is simply brilliant. Hats off to Achyut making this a memorable song even though it is in the near end of the film. If you pay attention to the sound design and sound capture you might feel a lot of background noise being captured. Especially during the Tiger painting scene. There is a sudden drop in the sound levels at times. We are in an era where in sync sound is picking up gradually. Its at a very few instances where in the sound capture is kind of average but at a overall level it gives you a phenomenal experience in listening to the speech with the inner expressions. In a way "Ulidavaru Kandante" is technically brilliant film-making.

The film though entertaining and satisfactory comes with few negatives. The first being the run-time. The film starts of with a great pace but gets slow from the second chapter on-wards. If it was a bit tight it would have been more perfect than what it is now. Some audience are bound to get tired. Never mind you cant keep everyone happy. The other factor is the penetration of this film beyond Karnataka. This film is high on the tradition, dialect and lifestyle of the coastal region. It would be interesting to see how this could interest people from other states. Lucia had a great success in this aspect. I wonder if "Ulidavaru Kandante" can achieve this. We will have to wait and watch on how this is received and propagated.

Two things. Be calm and patient while watching this. It is not an edge of seat thriller. Give the film some time to get it on to you. Do not expect a "wow" climax. Just watch the perspectives and bring out your own