JOIN USShivalinga
Kannada (U/A) Cast: Shivarajkumar, Vedhika, Urvashi, Avinash, Vinaya Prakash, Vaishali Deepak, Sadhu Kokila, Ashok
Director: P Vasu
Shivalinga is a double genre treat for viewers. It combines the taut elements of a murder mystery with ghostly visitations of a horror thriller.
The film’s nearly 150 minutes — minus digressions in the form of comedy and song-dance sequences — turn out to be an edge-of-the-seat, engaging affair.
Vasu’s nifty narrative has the audiences engrossed throughout, though a few scenes are reminiscent of films of the same genre — especially the climax which reminds one of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes denouements.
P K H Das’ snazzy cinematography enhances the eerie feel and leaves one spellbound.
What makes Shivalinga also entertaining is the panache with which Shivarajkumar goes about essaying the role of CID officer Shiva. Vedhika, as his wife Sathyabhama who gets possessed by a dead man’s ghost, matches him with a comely job.
The film revolves around the murder of Rahim, a mutton biryani vendor who is pushed out of a moving train by a blind person, who, he ironically saves from meeting a similar fate. The only mute, but determined, witness to the deed is Rahim’s Sara, a white pigeon which plays a pivotal role in ensuring justice to its deceased master.
While court and police surmise it to be a case of suicide, Rahim’s betrothed Sangeetha, daughter of a vegetarian caterer, believes otherwise.
Thus steps in CID officer Shiva, a man with an intuitive sense to unravel mysteries.
Though Harikrishna’s background score adds to the overall tempo of the film, the songs are a drag.
But despite its flaws, Shivalinga and our Hatrick Hero won’t disappoint you.