POVERTY & STUPIDITY– THE PARENTS OF CRIME

'The way to write a thriller is to ask a question at the beginning, and answer it at the end,’ the British author Lee Child wrote. Indeed. But, when it comes to a thriller film, it is what you put in between that matters.

"ಬೆಲ್ ಬಾಟಂ" ('Bell Bottom') is a 2019 Kannada film that has lots of suspense; comedy too...and, some romance between the question at the start and the answer at the end. Set in the 1980s, the flick has the right amount of action and anticipation too. It is apparently being remade in Tamil ('Sathyasiva').

The male protagonist, Diwakara (Rishab Shetty) is obsessed with spy novels and detective stories; he aspires to be a criminal investigator. But, his fater Annappa, a cop, prevails upon him and gets him to take up the drab, humdrum job of a police constable.

Diwakara though solves a murder mystery, which impresses his boss, Inspector Sahadeva (Pramod Shetty). Hence, he gets assigned to a high-profile case– one in which confiscated valuables in police custody have been stolen from the safebox at the station!

The upward mobility in the hierarchy of the force has its downside for Diwakara. The diligent detective questions several wacky suspects; yet, he is unable to crack the case, which turns out to be a Gordian knot.

But, the upside of sleuthhood is that he finds true love in Kusuma (Haripriya), a fiesty, but frolicsome bootlegger, who brews and peddles illicit liquor in the neighborhood.

So, does Diwakara solve the case and earn his spurs? That is the story.

Director Jayatheertha has knit together a lovely thriller...one with the motif of romantic comedy woven seamlessly into it. Forcing too many sub-plots into a thriller to keep audiences guessing is often counter-productive. But, not so with Jayatheertha, whose execution is top-shelf– a good chunk of the credit goes to writer Dayanand TK. The non-linear screenplay too is sans unnecessary action sequences...it is as if a whiff of fresh air has driven away the staleness of senseless violence.

Jayatheertha's casting is spot on. Rishab Shetty has packed plenty of pizzazz into his rendition. The flair and flamboyance he has put into the role is commendable. Haripriya too has put in a topnotch performance. Veterans Achyuth Kumar, Yogaraj Bhat, Prakash Thuminad, Pramod Shetty, and others in the supporting cast have done their bits to enhance the cinematic experience.

Ajneesh Loknath’s background score has a zippy, retro feel; wish he had used silence a tad more effectively in the soundtrack to thicken tension and sharpen suspense. Cameraman Aravind Kashyap has captured the tenor and texture of the 80's in the imagery well. Raghu Niduvalli's dialogues are witty, punchy; they bear references to pop culture of the time! KM Prakash has edited the flick with clinical precision.

As is obvious, a thriller without suspense falls flat; so too, a comedy that fails to evoke laughter. Not so, this crime thriller, which has lot of suspense and comedy thrown in...and, some romance too.

In short, the final product delivered on celluloid entertains! Detective Diwakara is surely the non-slapstick (read: much better) version of silly, bungling Inspector Jacques Clouseau of Peter Sellers fame. And, he rocks!

I rate this crime thriller, somewhat strictly: 7.5 on 10!