TRACKING THE TIGERS WHO TOOK A TOLL WITH TERROR

The assassination of former Prime Minister, Sri Rajiv Gandhi was a watershed moment in the post-independence history of India. He succumbed to a suicide bombing in May 1991– members of the Sri Lankan terror outfit, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried it out– in Sriperumbudur on the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

'ಸೈನೈಡ್' ('Cyanide') is a 2006 award-winning Kannada film on the manhunt launched for arrest of Sivarasan (Ravi Kale), the mastermind and his abettors and accomplices in the conspiracy. The drama received great critical acclaim too.

The plot, set in Bangalore during August of 1991, is about incidents subsequent to the escape, of Sivarasan and his band of militants from Tamil Nadu, in an oil tanker. A small factory owner, Ranganath (Rangayana Raghu) and his wife, Mridula (Tara) run into rough weather, when they naively give shelter to the terrorists. Eventually, the police track Sivarasan and his cohorts to a house in Konanakunte.

AMR Ramesh is astute and discerning with the direction; a few scenes are over-dramatized though. Tighter screenplay and crisper editing would have made for a more nail-biting, edge-of-seat narrative. Rathnavelu's cinematography and Sandeep Chowta's background score are commendable.

Ravi Kale as the sinister mastermind is chilling in his depiction of Sivarasan. Timid, timorous Tara is good, bar her excessive moaning-'n-groaning, which is jarring on the ears. Rangayana Raghu is on the money with his portrayal of Ranganath, helplessly caught between the devil and the deep sea. Malavika Avinash too has excelled in her pivotal role. The cast also features Avinash, Nassar and Suresh Heblikar.

On the whole, the flick is worth watching.

My rating: 7.0 on 10!


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