It’s a hoax: nothing real about this ‘Real Story'

Film: Kattu Kathe

Kannada (A)

Cast: Surya, Swathi Konde, Rajesh Nataranga, Mithra, Kempe Gowda

Director: Raj Praveen

Rating: 2 (out of 5 stars)

Murder mysteries and suspense thrillers have become the new fascination, especially among Sandalwood directorial aspirants. While one has no qualms about their attraction to the genre, what is infuriating is that these directors are not true to the theme or subject.

In their effort to reach across to all denominators of audiences, they give the subtlety and cinematic craft these genres require the go by and resort to all sorts of gimmicks.

Sadly, director Raj Praveen in his attempt to meld one too many elements, from suspense to murder to comedy — and above all — romance, does disservice to not only the film, but also the audiences who troop in drawn by the film’s tagline — The Real Story.

There is nothing real or realistic about Kattu Kathe. It’s ironic that the tag “real story” was used by Raj Praveen & Co to woo gullible audiences to watch this made-up story.

That said, Kattu Kathe does have one interesting plotline to it — a hearing-impaired hero in Ram, who is at his wits’ end to keep his physical impediment absolutely secret, especially so from his dream lass, Aadhya.

But then, could we trust our movie makers to latch onto this strand to make a script that would stand out by the delectable way the director handles the subject? No, sorry.

Rendered deaf following a blast at the factory he owns, Ram, who does not want others to learn about his disability, tags along with his pal Bharath to a farmhouse in Himagiri, on the advice of his doctor, pending operation.

Soon, cupid strikes and Ram falls head over heels for Aadhya. Even as he employs every trick in the book to ensure she is ignorant of his impairment, lest she should spurn him, a gang tries to abduct his lady love and her friends, leading to a series of dead bodies falling all around. The police are flummoxed, with diligent officer Rajesh trying his best to solve the mystery of who’s behind these murders: a ghost, a one-man serial killer or a gang.

Neither an edge-of-the-seat thriller nor a rib-tickling comedic fare; neither interesting nor intriguing, Kattu Kathe simply falls flat.

Raj Praveen seems unable to decide what he wants to make of his “entertainer”, though he claims it is a three-layered point of view — of the characters, the audience and the director himself.

Surya, as the hearing impaired beau, and Rajesh Nataranga, as the conscientious cop, carry the show with Mithra, too, chipping in. Vikram Subramanya’s solid score and the song Nee Kanasa Kalisu... lingers on long after you exit the theatre.