A triumph of style

Avane Srimannarayana
Cast: Rakshit Shetty, Achyuth Kumar, Balaji Manohar, Pramod Shetty, Shanvi Srivastava
Director: Sachin
Language:
Kannada (U/A)

Rakshit Shetty, the force behind Sachin’s directorial debut ‘Avane Srimannarayana’ (ASN), adds another fascinating film to his oeuvre.

As you try to arrive at an opinion, you keep the negatives away. Because there is a great deal of genuineness in the team’s vision.

ASN makes you think a lot about its creative mastery: it’s a film that gives you strong reasons to go back to it.

Quirky cop Narayana (Rakshit) has to battle a feared clan of dacoits to solve an age-old mystery in a town called Amaravati.

It’s a fantasy thriller, one that comes with experiments new to the Kannada film industry. Given the epic nature of the film, the long narrative isn’t surprising. But importantly, it keeps the audience invested.

Like in Rakshit’s famed ‘Ulidavaru Kandante’, not much happens early in ASN. Yet, the well-written humour drives the film at a steady pace. ASN has hordes of characters and many are just low-value pawns.

That doesn’t stop you from liking them and that’s a proof of superlative writing from Rakshit’s team. The action overdose towards the end is a slight letdown.

Just when you think ASN is losing its grip, Rakshit reinvigorates it with his presence.

He delivers some solid acting. His understanding of world cinema is reflected not just in his writing but also in his performance.

Rakshit is backed by a terrific cast in Balaji Manohar, Pramod Shetty, Achyuth Kumar and Shanvi.

ASN grows on to you slowly, and the film is a success of style over story.

This review awards no stars because that is sure to restrict our thinking: this is a film that looks beyond limits.

We have not seen any team going to such lengths in recent years, apart from KGF, to make a Kannada film the industry is so proud of. There are some Kannada movie buffs who seek good content but ironically turn their back on films that actually provide it.

Wholesome support from them for projects such as this can help the industry make good cinema. It is time to embrace the good and fascinating ASN.