Lucia

Well let me make it clear. I am a fan of any sensible cinema be it a mainstream one like Bacchan or an art-house/parallel cinema like Lucia.

I went into the theatre having almost no background information or hype and this movie pleasantly surprised me being a rarity in Kannada. Made like an edge of the seat thriller with a great twist at the end,this blink and you miss movie demands your complete attention right from the word go.Definitely not for the popcorn masala loving club sitting in the front row, one of whom who nearly got killed in the interval for recommending this to his friends!

In case you do want to know about the story, its about a common man who takes a pill called Lucia sold to him as a dream pill and his journey through it.

The director needs to be commended to have taken this challenge and its worth a watch just for his efforts to bring a difficult script come alive almost near perfection.The technical aspects are A class, comparable to any Hollywood creation, the non linear editing, the colors, the camera-work, cinematography and music (which surprisingly strikes a cord with the audience)

Not to forget the earnest performances by the entire star cast especially Satish Neenasam who is completely believable as Nikki.

The only pitfalls in the movie come (after the exhilarating 1st half)in the early to mid part of 2nd half when the script gets repetitive and tends to drag the movie and the climax where its not clear what makes the hero come to terms with reality.

That apart, this movie is ground breaking in many ways and its heartening to watch such stuff on the big screen which was probably unimaginable a few yrs ago. Do not miss it!

One of the best movies I've watched in recent times. It keeps you engaged and guessing until the last leg of the movie after which story unravels in a coherent manner.

Screen play is terrific and songs/music are pretty impressive. Special mention needs to be done on hero of movie for his versatility - ease with which he lives in two contrasting worlds couldn't have got better. Also, Kudos to the director who has shown immense talent in depicting a complicated story line in the most lucid way possible.

Although movie will be much appreciated by viewers who understand Kannada, I believe others with help of sub titles too will find the movie a master piece.

PS: This is my first movie review online and I couldn't resist from sharing it here since for the first time I saw audience after the movie clapping in admiration.

Oh my god what a movie! and Why don't these movies come into the mainstream cinema? and if i'm correct this is the first film to be "crowd funded" in India. The script is an exceptional one and the way it is executed takes the cake! This is such a technically brilliant movie in more than one dimension; not only Editing, choreography, BGM etc.. but also the story telling is just mind blowing and the treatment of the script is fresh as a blooming flower! Although there is a clear difference between the two parallel story lines as one part is in black & white, but still the way the script is executed you should have the thinking cap on your head firmly! Last but the not least this movie would invariably become a cult classic and miss this film at your own risk because invariably there will be so many clones spewed out in the near future but it would require a touch of genius as well as madness to repeat this kind of brilliance!

My review on LUCIA (Kannada film) :

The 1st word that comes to my mind when I think about LUCIA is "DREAM", cos for many reasons : 1. Firstly, its a dream project of Director Pawan Kumar and the entire team of LUCIA. 2. It was also the audiences' dreams to have funded in the film, first of its kind, a crowd funded film- which is a dream come true. 3. We all dream in our lives as we are normal human beings, after I watched this film I have 3 things to say : " I saw the dream, I loved the dream and I'm still living in that dream" Presenting to you 1 of the best movies ever made in Kannada and Indian cinema, a special thanks to Pawan Kumar and his entire team for trusting, investing and instilling this dream into our lives.

Please note : I've watched this film twice yesterday once at PVR and once at Veeresh, to also understand the public reactions. Also request to all the people who don't know Kannada to watch this film as there are sub-titles.

Firstly, Director Pawan Kumar : This man is an extraordinary n unbelievable magician, he has proved with Lucia that he can give tough competition to Upendra who is known for his different, unique brain- teasing concepts and editing. Lucia teases your brain, n please carry your brain to this film as its a no-nonsense movie with full on entertainment. What I liked about Lucia is its a simple thought very cleverly/brilliantly told with the necessary entertaining/commercial aspects be it songs, humor, making, emotions. It is very difficult to package all the things n yet come up with a unique n brilliant product. We normally have seen many directors in the past who have tried to say so many things/characters in 1 plot but have failed miserably. But Pawan excels n succeeds with this, 1 of the most brilliant narratives and editing ever. My prediction " Lucia will sweep most of the awards for the year 2013".

Hero Satish Neenasam : Satish "Neenu Awesome". Truly this guy deserves a huge round of applause. Excellent screen presence, confidence, expressions, dialog delivery. Normally he is known for his comical roles, but he has excelled with Lucia. In few sequences he underplays himself so much by giving the right kinda expression, 1 scene where I loved his acting is at the Pizza joint where he meets the heroine n gets disappointed n then leaves with the money on table, I swear I was in tears. That scene touched my heart and also the theater renovation process.

Heroine Sruthi Hariharan: Pretty, Bold, Beautiful…yet soulful, this girl also surprises with her varied looks n expressions. She is a perfect mix of class n mass. I loved the sequences which portray "emotional vs practical" between hero n heroine. Very practical, yet emotional. This girl has a bright future. In few angles she looks similar to Sindhu Loknath.

Achyuta Kumar : One of the finest actors, for me if any1 who has replaced the veteran Ananth Nag its got to be this great man "Achyuta Kumar". He has put in his life to the character 'Shankaranna'. The best on-screen chemistry in this film is not the hero-heroine's , but its Achyuta Kumar-Satish's. Extraordinary performance.

Cinematography by Siddharta Nuni and Gomtesh Upadhye is mind-blowing, both indoor&outdoor sequences have been well shot with excellent lighting system.

Music by the débutant Poornachandra Tejasvi, is soulful, magical, engaging, foot-tapping n will haunt you even after you've left the cinema hall. The background score is out of the world. Singers : Naveen Sajju, Bappi Blossom, Udith, Ananya Bhat n others have given a lot of life with their voice….way to go people. All the best n congrats.

The support cast n crew also doesn't go unnoticed, I'm unaware of their names but remember each n every character, the detective, cops, item;), The tall scary villain, the foreigners; all in all very good performances.

Few things which I thought could've been better : 1. Second half seems to be little longer with few lengthy scenes, though the film's duration is 138 minutes, I thought at least 8-10 minutes of the movie could've been shot. 2. Helu Shiva song could've been shot better, for me it wasn't that impactive as others. 3. Only 1 scene in which Sruthi doesn't look too good is when Satish n his parents come to see her at her house, make-up could've been better.

All in all L-Lovable, U-Unique, C- Clever, I- Involving, A – Amazing. Don't miss this dream, you'll enjoy it. A milestone in Kannada cinema. My rating : 4.75/5.

One of the best movies I have watched . It is a artistic film with thriller instincts. It will keep you hooked from first frame. At the end of the movie you will come out respecting & acknowledge the good state of your life compared with so many others. It just asks you to have a satisfaction with what you have & pursue your dreams. Great direction, editing, music, acting. It is a universal appealing movie all over till the end.Main Character played by Satish , he has provided full justice to the role & a superb star cast hand picked by Director Pawan Kumar. You need more reason to watch this movie? It is the first crowd funded movie in Indian cinema history & what an awesome movie crowd have produced.Truly a must watch & it has set a new standard for Indian cinema.