S Shyam Prasad
If I were to reveal the story of Munduvareda Adhyaya, it would seem a good film. In fact, it is a story with all the potential for an edge-of-the-seat thriller. In the theatre however, you will know the story only if you don’t run away at the interval.
A doctor goes missing followed by her friend. The prime suspect is found dead immediately after. What a situation for a disillusioned super cop to return to work! Ah, wait.
The director tries to introduce some 20 characters in the first 20 minutes and fails. He tries to cram information worth half a dozen Poornachandra Tejaswi novels in these breathless minutes. Good, he knows so much but it left me information-constipated and almost put me to sleep. The visuals too are jarring and the flow too inconsistent.
It is only after Aditya arrives on the screen that there is some semblance of coherence. The relief of being able to understand what the director is trying to tell is welcome. But not for long. Confusion and muddled vision returns soon after.
A big drawback is how the suspense is built on muted conversations and displaced shots. It can be forgiven once in a while not when used so repeatedly. A lot can be forgiven for a first-time-director. But this is an attempt at overdoing things.
In the end, you can only feel sorry for Aditya, an actor with so much potential which the Kannada film industry is hell-bent on wasting.
Cast and Crew
Film: Munduvareda Adhyaya
Duration: 120 minutes
Rating: 2/5
