There definitely is a new wave of Kannada movies coming out, and this movie comfortably joins Lucia and uLidavaru kanDante on a high pedestal.
A few things stood out for me.
One, today's Bangalore. All you see and hear is a lot of traffic. In the cut scenes, Bangalore cuts a pretty picture, but overflowing with traffic. In scenes shot outdoors, irrespective of whether there's a conversation on or not, there is always the white noise of Bangalore's traffic in the background. To me, this does a wonderful job of placing the movie accurately in Bangalore of 2015/16.
Two, Nikhila. The female lead. Utterly unconventional by Indian movie standards. Because she is *exactly* like so many young urban women we (or at least, I) know. Looks it, talks it, late-night autos it.
Three, some wonderfully placed references to older Kannada movies. From something mainstream and aimed at the masses like "yaake bulbul maataDakkilva", to "ee shatamanada maadari heNNu" hummed by Nikhila's mom, to "bhootavilla pishaachiyilla" song from Sriramachandra playing on radio during a late night scene. Wonderfully done.
Four, the music. From creating the genre of Bendre Rock, to some catchy EDM with just one word ("barali")
Five, and possibly one of the best moments of the film, BhaTTa's batting. Using the metaphor of batting as a maduve ooTa. It's a metaphor that I'd have thought impossible to convey visually. But it's been done brilliantly.
Oh, and great acting through and through. A doff of the hat to Sharath Bhagavan. I never suspected he had such excellent comic timing.
When you can, do catch the movie. Totally worth the two hours you will give it.
