Ulidavaru Kandanthe

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 movie which had created huge expectations from the trailer, lives up to the expectations.

Highlights of the movie

1 Undoubtedly all the characters steals the show with amazing performance and screen presence. Superb acting.

2 Screen Play, Direction, Background Score, Dialogues, Narration super

3 Huli Kunitha(Tiger Dance) and the song/music for that damn awesome and Rakshit Shetty awesome in the tiger dance.

4 Democracy(Character) dialogues are super and that kid as done really well.

5 Rakshit Shetty at his first direction he as taken the movie really well.

6 Munna(Kishore) and Richi(Rakshit Shetty) steals the show, and we should not forget the others Ratnakka(Tara), Raghu(Rishab Shetty), Balu(Achyuth Kumar), Regina(sheetal Shetty)at their best.

7 Music by Ajaneesh Loknath is cool. Another new talent came to KFI

8 We should not forget the another plus points, Cinematography by karm Chawla and Editing by Sachin.

On the whole Ulidavaru Kandanthe is a must watch for every Kannadiga..

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.

I've seen people utterly confused and disappointed after the movie (no doubt) with the only tiny consolation in offer being "It was different". I've read reviews in Kannada Newspapers (*Gives Aaron Eckhart's two-face look of Harvey Dent from 'The Dark Knight'*) horrendously regarding the movie as a "waste of time", going to limits so as to say that "the only death that happens in the movie is that of the audience". But I have only one thing to say. Rakshit Shetty – you incredibly talented out of the stars oh-we-needed-this-so-very-badly- marvelous beauty ! I have to admit, at the end of the movie, I sat there on my seat, unwilling to walk out, wanting for more, before the fading lights reluctantly forced me to leave the theatre. Yes Rakshit Shetty, such was the ecstasy of watching MY Udupi come to life, in arguably one of the best movies I have ever watched.

I've never been an avid admirer of Kannada movies, though I always keep an open mind. Since the likes of Lucia, I've always been looking forward to eventful ventures in the industry. And the moment I had seen the trailer, I knew, that "Ulidavaru Kandanthe" was what I was looking for.

I'm not going to give out spoilers, for this is a movie each one ought to savor from his/her own perspectives. I'm going to tell you why "Ulidavaru Kandanthe" is such a masterpiece and why it will go down to be one of my favorite movies of all times (Beating Pulp Fiction).

To begin with, the very first scene. Fishermen Singing their coastal rhymes as they labour on the machinery to fit a huge wooden piece into place, the video being focused on the wood . To me, the most memorable moments in the whole film. For there was a meticulous sync in the video and the audio creating a rhythmic chant, a near-apocalyptic heartbeat, a countdown to the epic journey that was to come. I felt a stroke of genius in that and realised I couldn't just rest back on my seat, for this was to be a movie of detail, and boy was I right! Secondly, Ajaneesh B Lokanath. The last time I kept humming the background score weeks after watching a movie was with "The Good The Bad The Ugly". Not just the songs, the entire movie is as much an enchanting musical experience as it is a magical visual delight.

And then, the performances. Well, Tara, in her tiny role is just brilliant ( sorry, short of words here). Achyuth is absolutely adorable and Richi so elegant and genuine. "Democracy" is cute, entertaining and marvelous at the same time. Everyone does a spectacular job, which is definitely one of the real highs of the movie.

Rakshit Shetty's direction gives Kannada Industry new hope. Clearly, a lot of things have been inspired by Tarantino ( in caps "INSPIRED" not plagiarised), but I can hardly think it could have been bettered. Mixed with some brilliant cinematography, superb camera-work and an indomitable background score, the intricate details and some sheer genius "stuff" like depicting the very same scene from different camera angles, the brilliant scene where tara prepares to cook her sons favourite "Meen Curry" for example, stand out.

And being a resident of this coastal town of Udupi, the very sound of "Malpe" is tantalizing. Having lived here from the day I was born, I couldn't help but admire the artistic mastery with which Rakshit Shetty portrays the cultural heritage of coastal Karnataka, like I said, a visual delight.

But what makes "Ulidavaru Kandanthe" stand out in an industry dominated by item songs and sequences shot in luxurious foreign sites, is the importance the director places in the beauty of simplicity. You don't need a rich and pompous location to shoot a movie, you just need to know that every location is rich and pompous, given you depict it from the right perspectives. The entire movie has a non linear storyline, a confusing and unsure first half, slow mid way, but that allows you to discern the characters better, and I think that's what Rakshit wants you to do, rather than try to solve the mystery, which exists or not, depends on the viewers perspective as well.

All in all, "Ulidavaru Kandanthe" is an affably ineffable tale, a saga, an unforgettable experience, the beginning of a new era, every (Dakshina) Kannadiga's pride. An artistic masterpiece, matched only by its own ingenuity to leave the viewer ascertain his own storyline, his own ending, through his own perspectives. Its a movie you wouldn't want to miss.

Ulidavaru kandante is very good effort from the Kannada film industry. I must say this movie has captured raw emotions very well in several situations. And i hope movies like these are well received by the Audience and eventually making sure that these kind of experiments continue and do well. This movie also brings the other variations of the kannada language in Karnataka which is awesomely portrayed!

The movie gives more importance to art in itself rather than conventional movies(in any regional language in general) which gives importance to commercial elements.

Lastly , I felt the second half could have been bit faster to improve the entertainment quotient. That said, it doesn't mean its boring. Its just that the movie gives more importance to script!

Overall a great movie! Must watch for people who prefer 'class' than 'mass' movies :D