A bold attempt with interwoven storylines

Sridhar Shikaripura’s ‘Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage’, is a multilinear flick involving interwoven storylines, plot twists and flashback.

It takes off with the story of Adi, a boxer donned by Naveen Shankar and his collegemate Shreya, played by Aishani Shetty, who meet in Bengaluru after many years. Unaware of her drug addiction, he allows her to stay in his house as he loves her, but she lands him in trouble. This forces him to part ways with her.

The film’s plot moves on to where Shivu, a mechanic essayed by Yash Shetty, is waiting for his parents to meet him after five years, while Marayade Ramanna, played by Prakash Thuminad consoles his friend Nitesh Mahaan, a heartbroken youngster, not to end his life.

A separate episode involves Antony (Bala Rajawadi), a criminal, Parachute (Siddu Moolimani) and Disco (Omkar), and Desai (Mohan Juneja), a trafficker.

These episodes interlock one night in Bengaluru, as the characters are linked by blood and coincidence. The climax is the unifying moment, where the complex narrative structure and multiple characters come together under one theme: Good always triumphs over evil.The lives of the characters hinge on each other’s actions, evoking empathy.

Audiences are free to interpret and understand the complexities of the characters’ dilemmas, as there are no protagonists and antagonists. Hatred, anger, defeat and reluctance overlap, signifying a conflict in emotion.

Despite a strong script and screenplay, the director’s attempt appears to be too laborious and convoluted. The film is too long and its narration appears sluggish at times. Cinematography is the biggest let down. Karthik Channoji’s music is average.

Naveen Shankar, Aishani Shetty, Yash Shetty and Prakash Thuminad impress in this new-gen film.