'Elumale': How Punit Rangaswamy transforms a simple story into a gripping thriller

In cinema writing, the most common question is, what is the difference between a story and a screenplay. In simple words, the story is the tale. The screenplay is the visual and aural telling of a story. A closer look at the art and craft of screenwriting tells us that a screenplay can change the fate of stories. A well-written screenplay can elevate an average story, while a weakly written one can drag down a good story.

Punit Rangaswamy’s debut film ‘Elumale’ is an interesting demonstration of how a good screenplay can turn a simple story into an intense experience.

The two main plots — a ‘romantic reunion’ and ‘catch the killer’ — by themselves are neither very exciting nor boring. It is not just the intersection of these two stories, but the construction and flow of the scenes that make the film thrilling and moving.

The first plot revolves around Harisha, a cab driver, and Revathi. They come from different social classes and linguistic cultures, yet are in love. Revathi’s family disapproves of their relationship and has arranged her marriage to another man. Harisha and Revathi plan to meet in Malemahadeshwara Hills and elope to Goa. The second subplot follows the Special Task Force (STF). Acting on intelligence, they are hunting a criminal named Veera (based on Veerappan), who is planning to escape to Sri Lanka.

Harisha witnesses a custodial death and is held back by the police. This prevents him from reaching his destination on time. Meanwhile, Revathi’s journey becomes entangled with those supplying AK-47s to Veera, while her brother is looking for her.

In this ambitious tale, featuring multiple significant characters, the first notable brilliance of Punit’s writing is how every character’s actions, inactions, and reactions stem from individual motivations. Nowhere are the characters at the service of the plot. Driven by their needs and wants, the characters both complicate and complement each other’s journey. It is not easy to orchestrate this level of narrative complexity without some leaps, where the actions, inactions, and reactions of the characters are forced on them to steer the narrative in a particular direction.

The only characters who do not seem to influence the plot are Harisha’s passengers, whom he is driving to Mysuru. The delay in reaching Mysuru and an accident with a pig have a bearing on the plot. It could have been achieved without giving much screen time to the passenger characters. But how even these peripheral characters are used to make the narrative effective is noteworthy.

‘Elumale’ opens with Harisha and Revathi worried, and the CID and STF alerted. Since the film is a thriller, the emotional graph must peak at a later stage, and the tension built should not feel monotonous. The writer uses the passenger characters to add humour to deal with this challenge. It softens the early tension and also ensures that the upcoming tension and the build-up to the climax do not lose impact.

Even in the second act, to ensure the ‘marginal utility’ is not lost, the writer peppers humour, and balances tender and charged emotions. This constant swinging keeps the curiosity alive and also creates breathing space for the intensity of emotions. Interestingly, in the second half, songs are used to continue the pendulum effect. The writer’s attention to the emotional graph and the narrative rhythm keeps the screenplay tight and the audience engaged.

Punit builds almost every scene in a 3-act structure. He rations information and beat points to create intrigue. At crucial points, Punit ends the scenes with cliffhangers, switches to a parallel thread and returns to the same after a scene or two to sustain tension.

The taut dialogue writing also deserves a mention. The dialogues are focused yet spontaneous. The scene where a cop stops Harisha at the checkpost is a beautiful example of using dialogue to create beat moments while advancing the narrative. An inciting incident, a key moment in the film, particularly demonstrates the strength of dialogue writing. Equally worth noting is how different dialects of Kannada have been assigned to different characters, and the diverse nature of Kannada has been respected.

The plot genotype of ‘Elumale’ is that of the ‘Romeo and Juliet’. However, the way Punit reimagines the trope and turns it into a thriller shows his grip over constructing narratives.
(The author teaches screenwriting at FTII, Pune)