ULTIMATE POWER AND RESPONSIBILITY ARE KEYS TO DEMOCRACY

Thomas Jefferson, the American statesman, opined thoughtfully that democracy would cease to exist when you “take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

'ಮತದಾನ' ('Mathadana', which means “Voting”) is a 2001 award-winning Kannada movie, which peeps into the Machiavellian world of power, politics and subterfuge. The political drama is based on literary genius, SL Bhyrappa's novel, a dramatic masterpiece, of the same name. 

The story revolves around a doctor, who sets up his professional practice in his small village. Ethical, idealistic and apolitical, strong notions of community service drive him. But, the local political ecosystem of cash, caste and corruption use him as a pawn with ulterior motives. Ego, greed and opportunism of the political class drive the manipulation during election season.

In short, political intrigue, trickery and skulduggery are captured on screen with elan. The futility of honesty and integrity during the electoral dance of democracy is portrayed brilliantly.

TN Seetharam's direction is par excellence; his screenplay could have been slick and swift— better editing and cinematography would have done the trick. Anant Nag, Avinash Yelandur and the supporting cast have put up sterling performances. Music of C Ashwath and V. Manohar is commendable.

The true winner of the movie is SL Bhyrappa, who has knit together an intricate, engrossing narrative set in the political milieu of India.  

The length of the flick is a downside though...makes it painstakingly snail-paced!

My rating: 8.0 on 10!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COMEDY OF THE SURREAL WITH THE REAL

Image
Salman Rushdie in his book ‘The Satanic Verses’ equated a ghost, perhaps flippantly, to ‘ unfinished business ’. The novelty in the esoteric comparison is surely undeniable.      “ಸು ಫ್ರಮ್ ಸೊ ” ( Su From So ) is a 2025 Kannada comedy film that uses a horror theme to throw light on an evil that plagues every misogynistic, male dominated society.   The movie touches upon the exploitation of women, who have to also endure often the trivialisation and normalisation of such occurrences. Set in the village of Marluru in Coastal Karnataka, the flick features Ravi Anna  (Shaneel Gautham) as a Good Samaritan and the big, alpha male of the local community. Sycophantic sidekicks— Chandra (Prakash Thuminad), Satisha (Deepak Panaje) and others— surround Ravi Anna , the go-to guy for local affairs of the village. Enter Ashoka (JP Thuminad), a young man, who all and sundry believe is possessed by the ghost of a deceased lady called Sulochana from Somes...
Read more

THE POWER OF A POET’S PEN

Image
Bhagat Singh, the Indian martyr, a famous revolutionary and freedom fighter, said eloquently and insightfully: “ Bombs and pistols do not make revolution. The sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting-stone of ideas. ” No doubt, those ideas take birth in the minds of writers and are nurtured with the pen. “ ಮೈಸೂರು ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ” ( ‘Mysooru Mallige’ , which translates to ‘Jasmine of Mysooru’) is a 1992 Kannada film, which won countless state and national awards. Based on reputed poet KS Narasimhaswamy’s soulful, splendid poetry― a first of its kind― the movie was critically acclaimed. Set in Colonial India, the period drama was a runaway success commercially. The female protagonist, Padma (Sudharani) is a coy, carefree girl, who loses her heart to Manjunatha alias Manju (Anand), a school teacher. A fervent patriot, Manju’s pastime is poetry, which is rich in literary elegance and aesthetic appeal. A village accountant and instrument of British India’s feudal system, Padma’...
Read more

CLAUSTROPHOBIC CONFINES OF THE COVID PANDEMIC AND COMEDIC DRAMA

Image
It is oft said that ‘variety is the spice of life’! Surely true, that…except when the variety pertains to marital affairs and matrimonial matters! “ ಇಕ್ಕಟ್ ” (‘ Ikkat , which translates to: ‘ Crisis’ and also ‘Dilemma’ ), is a 2021 Kannada language film, written, directed and edited by Haseen and Esham Khan. The sweet, situation comedy, rib-tickling if I may add, features the lives of a young, middle-class couple during the COVID-lockdown. Vasu (Nagabhushana) and his wife, Janvi (Bhoomi Shetty) constantly squabbles over trivialities. One such spat gets the couple to even contemplate divorce. Dude Maga (RJ Vikki), Janvi’s TikTok buddy lands up unannounced and suggests elopement. Janvi flatly rejects the proposition; however, she allows Dude Maga to stay on surreptitiously without Vasu’s knowledge. In the meantime, Vasu’s relative, Karna Uncle (Sundar Veena) too shows up uninvited. That prepares the perfect recipe for some hilarious moments entailing exorcism of imaginary ghost...
Read more