BIG CRIMES BREED BIGGER ONES

'Crime does not pay as well as politics,' is what someone once said. Many are likely to agree, for sure. That is because most are perhaps ignorant of the pay of, or rather payoffs to the corrupt officer.

"ಕೆಂಡ ಸಂಪಿಗೆ" ('Kenda Sampige', that is, 'Red Champak') is a 2015 Kannada movie that gives dramatic expression to how the high and mighty use their power and influence (not to mention money) to exploit systemic flaws. This commercially successful crime thriller based on a story penned by Surendranath found favour with critics too.

The plot features the trials and travails of a young couple on the run from the cops. Ravindra (Vikky Varun) and Gowri Shetty (Manvitha Harish) are in a relationship and decide to elope. The problem, Ravindra hails from an impoverished family, and the latter is from an affluent, class-conscious household. The twist though is that Ravindra is involved in a drugs possession case and has escaped from police custody.

So, the story-telling is about how the two manage to evade arrest, nay, death, because there are rogue elements in the police force, in particular DCP Suryakanth (Prakash Belawadi), baying for the blood of the absconding couple.

Director Duniya Soori has left his stamp of class in this slick flick about drugs and death; devilry and deception of the elite. The drama details the unholy nexus between the police and the powerful. He has portrayed what we all know: “When money speaks, the truth is silent”; yet, it jars, jolts you out of your wits. Soori has put into the screenplay the gamut of neo-noir film elements– non-linear storyline, ensemble cast, humanised gangsters, aestheticized violence, and so on.

Soori has done a stupendous job with the casting too. His choice of the protagonists– Vikky Varun and Manvitha Harish, with their guy-gal-next-door looks– is absolute genius; it adds realism to the narrative and makes the tale engaging and believable. Prakash Belawadi and Rajesh Nataranga have lent ample support– the former sends a chill up your spine with his muted rendition of a ruthless, unscrupulous cop in the film.

Satya Hegde's cinematography is kickass; he changes his camera angles and positions like a contortionist on trapeze and has packed the film with a fair share of drone scenes. Deepu S Kumar's editing too is top-class.

V Harikrishna's musical compositions, set to lyrics of Jayant Kaikini and Yograj Bhat, are soft and relaxed; yet, they quaintly complement, even enhance the suspense quotient of the film. 

On the whole, this fine film reiterates that crime is a product of societal affliction, not just personal intention.

I rate this crime and suspense thriller: 8.0 on 10!