Debutant director Anup Bhandari and Directors of Photography Lance Kaplan & William David are quite the heroes of this enterprise, for their beautiful depiction of Dakshina Kannada. H K Prakash and the production team have invested wisely in utilizing the services of these international cinematographers, thus depicting their uncompromising nature, in this department.
Avantika Shetty plays Sindhu, a journalist, in search of novelist Anashku (pseudonym).
Parallelly, Gautham Suvarna takes his pregnant wife Indu to Kamarottu village for a Bhootaradhana (literal translation: Bhoota - ghost; Aradhana - worship) ritual. They are greeted by strange happenings and characters, right from their arrival. Rafiq, postmaster Kalinga and the elderly headmaster Shankara are characters that they befriend, here.
Watch the film to see how events unfold pretty interestingly...
The blending of the folklore concepts, like Bhootaradhana and the Guddadha Bhoota, into the script enriches it even further. That is one of the strengths of coastal Karnataka movies - they are so rich in aesthetics and culture that you are bound to have a winner at hand. All that's then needed - is a good story. :)
Rangi Taranga is a horror meeting crime thriller. You'd wish it were totally horror only, though... There are a couple of scenes in the first half that ran a chill down my spine. The opening scene is great, and should have kept the pace going. This is where good editing (B Praveen Joyappa) and screenplay would have made a difference.
For a majority of the film, the great camera work and the serene locations make it look like events unfolding right in front of you, rather than watching something shot before-hand. Now, that is a very tough thing to achieve...
As for the performances, Radhika Chetan is decent, while Avantika Shetty is pretty, convincing and likeable. Nirup Bhandari is expressionless though, and may have got the role primarily as he is the director's brother. Saikumar is at his peak, without going overboard, and is a joy to watch. Ananth Velu is a veteran and Arvind Rao as the cop is just about okay.
Very good job by the director, especially in the first half and parts of the second half.
The songs were aplenty, and does not add value, especially when you get to see two numbers back-to-back, post intermission. The usage of additional characters in the story, like Mahabala Hegde, was not really needed, as it just loses the plot, leading to unnecessary loopholes and wastage of time.
The film would have almost turned into an Ulidavaru Kandanthe - it certainly had the potential - if it were say half-hour shorter, with better screenplay. The story has been told pretty well and is quite complex. The music by the director himself is fresh and appealing. B. Ajaneesh Loknath has scored some excellent background music too, and the theme music is haunting (no pun intended!)...
The locations are a highlight of the film, and what is interesting is that though the movie has a coastal Karnataka touch, barring Puttur, the other places this was shot were Madikere, Mysore, Bangalore, Sira, Ooty, and parts of Kerala.
Full marks to the film-maker, for he successfully captures the flavour of the region, including the accent. It is heartening to see Anup Bhandari take Kannada films to another high, after the beautiful directorial debuts of Pawan Kumar and Rakshit Shetty, with Lucia and Ulidavaru Kandanthe, respectively.
Avantika Shetty plays Sindhu, a journalist, in search of novelist Anashku (pseudonym).
Parallelly, Gautham Suvarna takes his pregnant wife Indu to Kamarottu village for a Bhootaradhana (literal translation: Bhoota - ghost; Aradhana - worship) ritual. They are greeted by strange happenings and characters, right from their arrival. Rafiq, postmaster Kalinga and the elderly headmaster Shankara are characters that they befriend, here.
Watch the film to see how events unfold pretty interestingly...
The blending of the folklore concepts, like Bhootaradhana and the Guddadha Bhoota, into the script enriches it even further. That is one of the strengths of coastal Karnataka movies - they are so rich in aesthetics and culture that you are bound to have a winner at hand. All that's then needed - is a good story. :)
Rangi Taranga is a horror meeting crime thriller. You'd wish it were totally horror only, though... There are a couple of scenes in the first half that ran a chill down my spine. The opening scene is great, and should have kept the pace going. This is where good editing (B Praveen Joyappa) and screenplay would have made a difference.
For a majority of the film, the great camera work and the serene locations make it look like events unfolding right in front of you, rather than watching something shot before-hand. Now, that is a very tough thing to achieve...
As for the performances, Radhika Chetan is decent, while Avantika Shetty is pretty, convincing and likeable. Nirup Bhandari is expressionless though, and may have got the role primarily as he is the director's brother. Saikumar is at his peak, without going overboard, and is a joy to watch. Ananth Velu is a veteran and Arvind Rao as the cop is just about okay.
Very good job by the director, especially in the first half and parts of the second half.
The songs were aplenty, and does not add value, especially when you get to see two numbers back-to-back, post intermission. The usage of additional characters in the story, like Mahabala Hegde, was not really needed, as it just loses the plot, leading to unnecessary loopholes and wastage of time.
The film would have almost turned into an Ulidavaru Kandanthe - it certainly had the potential - if it were say half-hour shorter, with better screenplay. The story has been told pretty well and is quite complex. The music by the director himself is fresh and appealing. B. Ajaneesh Loknath has scored some excellent background music too, and the theme music is haunting (no pun intended!)...
The locations are a highlight of the film, and what is interesting is that though the movie has a coastal Karnataka touch, barring Puttur, the other places this was shot were Madikere, Mysore, Bangalore, Sira, Ooty, and parts of Kerala.
Full marks to the film-maker, for he successfully captures the flavour of the region, including the accent. It is heartening to see Anup Bhandari take Kannada films to another high, after the beautiful directorial debuts of Pawan Kumar and Rakshit Shetty, with Lucia and Ulidavaru Kandanthe, respectively.
Go watch this one, for it is definitely worth the buzz it has been generating...
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