NO SUSPENSE IN THE BANG; ONLY IN ITS ANTICIPATION
Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, remarked perceptively that drama is but “.... life with the dull bits cut out. ” And when 'anticipation' is added to drama, it makes for a great suspense thriller. " ಸಂಯುಕ್ತ " (' Samyuktha '), a 19 88 Kannada film, was appreciated in some circles. Based on Kakolu Saroja Rao's novel of the same name, the romantic suspense thriller was a box office hit too. The somewhat stale plot has a haunted house, where strange things happen predictably; and, people disappear mysteriously. The male protagonist, Shivaraj (Shiva Rajkumar), a young, adventurous man and his two friends agree to stay in the house to unravel the enigma behind the weird occurrences. But, that is not before he gets to romance Devi (Veena) and cavort around with her. Thanks to some deft inquisitive, investigative effort, Shivaraj and his cohorts crack the case...but, only after several sequences of action, comedy and romance have played out on scr...