Chitra Varga

Dale Carnegie, the American motivational writer, said that the man who goes farthest is the one who is willing to do and dare .   That profound thought applies to as mundane, but momentous a pursuit in life as finding love. Unexpressed love indeed becomes unrequited love often. Hence it is vital not only to dare, but also to declare that love. No flippancy there!  “ ಶ್ರಾವಣಿ ಸುಬ್ರಮಣ್ಯ ” (‘ Shravani Subramanya ’) is a 2013 Kannada film that had the cash registers ringing relentlessly. A blockbuster, the romantic comedy garnered plaudits galore and gained an award or two as well.   Shravani (Amulya) is a naïve, dewy-eyed girl in love. She elopes with Sudeep (Yashas), who, it turns out, is a goon with ulterior motives and nefarious designs. Subramanya (Ganesh), an aspiring singer with dreams of making it big in the music industry, arrives in the nick of time as a knight in shining armour and rescues Shravani from the clutches of Sudeep. When Shravani returns home though...

“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) ...

' 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...

Someone once said, rhetorically perhaps, “ Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy. ” But why complain if good ole’ entertainment serves as a surrogate for happiness that everyone cherishes in life? “ ಜಾಕೀ ” (‘ Jackie ’) is a 2010 Kannada action thriller, which delivers a supersized serving of ‘joy’ with a unique brand of quick-paced narration. The film, a box-office bonanza, won a bunch of awards too. The story revolves around the male protagonist, Janakirama alias  Jackie  (Puneeth Rajkumar), a poor widow’s son. The goofy, happy-go-lucky fella’s pipe dream is to make it big in realty. A high school dropout, the talkative do-gooder is never short of repartee though . He unwittingly helps the local priest’s daughter, Yashoda (Harshika Poonacha), elope with her lover, Parangi Seena (Vikas), who is actually part of a human trafficking network. Blamed for Yashoda’s disappearance, Jackie sets out to trace her…and, that triggers a gambol ride. His sear...