RELIGIOUS CONVERSION EQUALS SOCIETAL DESTRUCTION
Many believe religious conversion is a scourge
in civil society. But, when crime and coercion drive the conversion attempt, it
turns into a monstrous menace plaguing mankind.
Annappa (Rajesh) is
the tax collector of a place called Dharmakonda. His pious, loving wife,
Sharada (Roopa Iyer), a beauty in the classical mold, is held in high esteem by
one and all in the local community. Sharada is prudent in her words;
compassionate in deeds; and progressive in thought. She personifies humanistic
values too.
While cleaning the
puja room at home, Sharada unwittingly opens a cloth bundle to find a pair of hereditary
anklets, which are shrouded in mystery and superstition. It opens
a veritable Pandora’s Box, for her in-laws view it as a minatory sign. Local
legend is that the owner of the anklets, a devout lady devastated at her husband’s
death, had opted for self-immolation. Another version
of the myth is that a murderous mob threw the ancestor into the funeral pyre.
To atone for the sin, Sharada undertakes
a 21-day ritual, which includes a dip in the local river each morning before
dawn. This affords an opportunity to a Muslim cloth merchant, besotted by
Sharada’s angelic looks, to kidnap her. The police suspect Majid Khan’s (HG Dattatreya)
group of nomadic merchants and launch a manhunt.
So then, does Sharada escape
captivity? Or, is she forced into embracing Islam? And, does she succumb to the
overtures of her infatuated predator and marry him?
That makes for riveting drama.
K Shivarudraiah’s direction is
top-shelf― he sticks to the bare essentials in his screenplay to impart
a greater sense of drama; clearly there is no shillyshallying with
superfluous dramatization in his book. Detractors may complain about the lack of pace
in the movie. But then, slow, steady and smooth story-telling is a sine qua
non for purposive and immersive dramatization, isn’t it?
Veteran Hamsalekha’s
compositions in the music track, with heavy folklore and classical
underpinnings, are tailored marvelously for the contextual settings and cinematic
moods. Dialogues of Lakshmipathi Kolar are apt; and, the editing is fine and
dandy.
S Ramachandra’s camerawork is exquisite,
as always. The sylvan scenes captured on celluloid are drop-dead good; and,
that enhances exponentially the aesthetic appeal of his work.
Rajesh and Roopa Iyer are
EXCEPTIONAL in the lead roles. HG Dattatreya is also BRILLIANT in his
supporting role. The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Girija Lokesh,
Veena Sundar, Dhananjaya and others, has put in creditworthy renditions.
The flick gets you to introspect on why orthodox society ironically places
the onus of chastity on vulnerable victims of sexual violence, who even get ostracized
from society at times. The film is also a take on the bane of religious
conversion, not to mention the vile, defiling acts of sexual predators.
I rate this socio-domestic drama: 9.0 on 10!
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