Murder mystery without thrills

Aatagara
Kannada (U/A) ¬¬
Cast: Chiranjeevi Sarja, Parul Yadav, Anu Prabhakar, Meghana Raj, Sadhu Kokila, Achyut Kumar
Director: K M Chaitanya

K M Chaitanya had set a benchmark with his delectable directorial debut Aa Dinagalu. Sadly, he fails to meet his standards in the latest Aatagara.

Here was a sizzling subject with immense opportunity to whip up a classic winner as murder mystery. Loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Chaitanya provides needless local flavour and feel to the inspirational crime classic. Expect for the basic kernel of Christie’s classic, Chaitanya’s bastardisation of the murder mystery into a trashy reality TV show fails Aatagara.

Like in Agatha’s story, 10 assorted set of characters are transported to an isolated island in the guise of participating in a reality TV show, Aatagara. All the 10 — a doctor, journalist, cook, fashion photographer, drug peddlar, wild life enthusiast, school principal, rich lass, actress, and a TV show enthusiast — have a shady past. Five men and five women. Even before they realise they have been bamboozled in a deadly game of death, four are felled by an unknown assassin. Do the others meet their death and what are reasons for being killed, is what Aatagara unveils in lackadaisical manner.

There are needless build-ups and silly comic interludes, besides inept acting by the entire entourage.

Aatagara my pass muster for those going without expectations and are not swayed by the hype surrounding the film.