Chitra Varga

“He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it,” observed the Roman philosopher Seneca. That perhaps is the raison dꞋetre for the eternal cat-and-mouse game between cop and criminal. “ ನವಗ್ರಹ ” (‘ Navagraha’, which translates to ‘ Nine Planets ’) is a 2008 Kannada film, which over the years has attained the status of a cult classic. Heavily inspired by Reservoir Dogs, this heist movie was a runaway success at the box-office. The film revolves around Jaggu (Darshan), a dacoit with a history of high-profile thefts. An international antique collector engages Jaggu to steal the golden howdah― the main attraction showcased during the Dasara festivities― from the Mysore palace. Jaggu accepts the brief and soon embarks on his mission. He assembles a team of fellow henchmen and hatches a foolproof, audacious plan. The gang of seven men and two women, diverse in skill and savvy, collaborates to pull off the caper. An astute, discerning police officer, ACP Bhagat (Sourav) ...

Rudy Giuliani, the New York governor, once quipped: “ It is about time law enforcement got as organized as organized crime” . Indeed, a little bit of order in the rank and file; and, loads of greed and some fear… that is all it takes for organized crime to succeed. “ ಚೂರಿಕಟ್ಟೆ ” (‘ Choorikatte ’) is a 2018 Kannada film about sandalwood smugglers; it garnered critical approval and approbation. Commercially too, the flick had a decent run. Set in Churikatte, a tiny hamlet in the wilderness of densely forested hills, this crime thriller is about an unlawful sandalwood logging racket run by the local thug, Prakash Shetty (Sharath Lohitashwa), and his trusted henchmen, Seena (Balaji Manohar) and Mohana (Pramod Shetty). Despite the diligent efforts of Inspector Ravikanth (Achyuth Kumar), the illegal red sanders trade flourishes, courtesy: the nexus between the smugglers and the local forest officer, Suresh (Manjunath Hegde). High on machismo and silvery quick on repartee, Adi (Praveen Tej), ...

“Every story needs an element of suspense– or, it’s lousy” , said Sydney Pollack, the American film director. Add a good measure of thrill; top it with a mysterious murder; and, you have the recipe for a terrific story on the silver screen. “ ತರ್ಕ ” (‘ Tarka' , which translates to ‘ Logic’ ) is a 1989 critically-hailed Kannada f lick . Based on Agatha Christie’s novel, ‘The Unexpected Guest’, the commercial blockbuster won a few awards too. Remade into Tamil ( Puriyaadha Pudhir ) and Hindi ( Chupp ) and, the suspense thriller is indubitably a milestone in Kannada films. The plot revolves around Akshay (Shankar Nag), a prisoner, who has escaped from custody and is on the run. The fugitive accidentally runs into his classmate, Sudha (Vanitha Vasu). Sudha confesses to murdering her sadistic, schizophrenic husband, Ritwik Kumar (Devaraj), who is monomaniacal in his suspicion of her fidelity. Akshay assists Sudha in disposing of the corpse; but, the two are soon targeted for blackma...

' 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, Diwaka ra ( 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 wh...

' 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 custod...

It has been said that ' behind every great fortune is a great crime .' Indeed, fortune is undeniably the frequent causa causans for crime. " ಅಂತ " (' Anta ', which translates to ' End ') is a 1981 Kannada film, which delves into the murky world of the corrupt and the criminal. Based on HK Anantha Rao's story, it was remade in Tamil (' Thyagi '), Telugu (' Atham Kadidi Aarambam ') and Hindi (' Meri Aawaz Suno '). This landmark action thriller was hugely successful at the box-office. Sushil Kumar (Ambareesh), an upright, diligent police inspector, is living happily with his pregnant wife, Sunitha (Lakshmi) and his mother (Pandari Bai). It is happenstance that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Kanwar Lal (also Ambareesh), a dreaded, notorious gangster serving a life term in prison for murder. So, the police hatch a plot to plant Sushil in Kanwar's place if only to penetrate and bust the latter's gang of smugglers,...

  “ With guns you can kill  terrorists , with education you can kill t errorism , ” is a quote that sounds profound. But, reality reveals education often makes terrorism more sophisticated; and, terrorists more hardened. " ಅತಿಥಿ " (' Atithi ' or 'Guest') is a 2002 Kannada movie, which won the prestigious Certificate of Merit at the National Awards. It garnered critical acclaim and amassed laurels galore. The film l ooks to portray the psyche of the terrorist and reflects upon the rationale for terrorism. The plot consists of a group of terrorists on the run after a successful attack. While plotting their next bombing, one of the terrorists (Prakash Rai) is injured in an accidental bomb blast. So, he is taken to the house of the local doctor (HG Dattatreya) for treatment. Held hostage, the doctor is forced to treat the terrorist under duress. Do the outlaws carry out the next attack? Or, is their plan stymied? The film is soft, even casual in depictin...