Kavaludaari: A Crossword Puzzle

Star Cast: Anant Nag, Rishi, Achyuth Kumar, Suman Ranganathan, Roshini Prakash, and Siri Ravi Kumar
Music Composed by Charan Raj
Screenplay by Hemanth M Rao
Produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar
Cinematography by Advaitha Gurumurthy
Directed by Hemanth M Rao

First of all, let me explain how I view films, as few people really thought of telling me how cynic I am!? It is surprising to see people make assumptions based on one review which was aimed at being light-hearted and more written reluctantly than with full heart. This is not an apology or a condescending message – stating some kind of superiority. But this is a reaction to all reactions. It takes more childlike admiration and belief towards cinema to actually watch everything that is spewed out every week. So, the last week’s review is all about finding similarities and not about really judging the content.

Enough of things about the past. Well, actually more about the things happened past as Kavaludaari is more about how past shapes people than the present. It is more about investigators than the case they are investigating. For the first time, in years, you don’t see a movie that tries to pull off a Sherlock Holmes while it talks more about the investigators.

Normally, when a crime is committed there are motives, misunderstandings, lies, escape artists, revenge(s) and moralities, justice. We tend to feel for people seeking revenge, justice. Both need not be on the same side all the time. Even two crime-sters might have been sprawling lengthy sketches to avenge each other even though they had been partners in crime. Then the question of justice exist? Justice might be too strict for us to really take one side. That is how a law is, it has to be harsh otherwise, there is no order at all.

Here, Hemanth Rao tries to tell you that crime doesn’t always come up with a moral science textbook along with it. There are no pages of moral code of conduct which are waiting for you to unravel in each case. Investigators are not pure souls who always stand for justice. No, Universe doesn’t work like that. As Physics say, Every action will have an opposite and equal reaction, the reaction could be delayed but it will pay-off in some manner some day.

This investigative drama is more about Universe trying to help a person attain justice because of one random selfless deed before a devil of selfishness overpowers and wrecks his family altogether. We don’t get to see a hero being more selfish, curious and a person who sees an opportunity when some bones are discovered. It is not an episode of English series, Bones, where the investigators are cool enough for us to see where their arcs are going and what mystery they are solving this week.

This film is more about taking the clichés of the investigation drama and curving them enough to present an original spin on everything we expect from an investigative drama. We do see clichéd old cop sprung to life by young cop’s judgement and curiosity. At the same time, we also see a young cop being more eager to solve the case and thinking about the result it can attain while an old cop talks about patience and how the lies can create a story of its own. It doesn’t make even the villain invincible to grow the stakes. It does take the cliché of bloating and gloating villain but it delivers another unexpected gut punch that wakes up to life.

It talks about a weird sense of justice and a pang of guilt that shapes a person who was blinded by greed in a weak moment. At the same time, it even talks about a clever criminal taking pride in crime and his judgement of people. You can always be over-confident and that will lead to your downfall in some or the other way. While all this takes a lot of time to unravel, there are places where you wish Hemanth Rao, was a bit more crisp and even more original like he was in depicting a hallucination that an investigator or a good story can create for a reader. After all, any crime investigation is also a good story waiting to be told.

All said and done, this is a like crossword puzzle where we have to give importance to each and every clue even the minute ones which we think we have already solved. Because sometimes one long word clue might need many small clues to make it up while the first answer might have to be re-written tens of times. Hemanth Rao came up with an original charismatic crossword puzzle which gives you kick of satisfaction while it seems a bit routine as the puzzle always follows a similar pattern.

Theatrical Trailer: