Roopanthara

In a dystopian future, a nomad has only stories to narrate so that he can save himself from armed hunters. When he is about to be executed, he convinces them to listen to his stories and narrates four of them. One involving a beggar woman accused of kidnapping a child. A boy who has survived child abuse but is living with the scars, turning him into an anti social element. An old couple where the husband is trying to fulfill his wife's wish to visit Bengaluru city. Lastly, a local goon picking up a fight with an IT employee. What happens in each of this stories and to the storytelling nomad, with the gist of these stories being one's transformation in the ever changing world.

Mithilesh Edavalath's direction is well intentioned and driven by philosophy of basic human nature. With each phase of our lives, there comes the moment of transformation and it's upto the individual to recognize his/her moment. The anthology has it's highs and lows. The best story being that of the old couple and I could instantly connect with these characters. I might not get on board with it's ending but the emotions clicked. Similarly, the segment with the beggar woman and the masterstroke was narrating it through the new constable's pov. It made me root for the character and the ending was satisfactory. The other two segments involving the boy and the conflict between two men was half backed and rushed. I did get the point but with the time constraint, these two stories don't really drive home the point as intended. Setting aside the preachy narrative, two of the stories individually worked big time for me.

Roopanthara 🎬 I don't know whether I like this movie or not, but this film made me think about life, people, society, and so on. Film is kind of a tree; it may have branches, but it's deep-rooted. Story has different approaches and narratives, and it's all about true transformation.

Its well-written story and brilliantly executed. Actors performance is top notch, especially the old couple who steal the show.

In this world, each one has their own different story. It's too early to judge anyone. We are all here to transform.

What story do you choose when someone says this is going to save your life.

I sincerely request people to support Raj Shetty's movies. He is trying his best to bring KFI to a new level, good movies with great stories. Let's not promote one-man shows that influence a rowdy culture to our society and kids. Raj Shetty's movies strike your heart. The story, narration, direction, acting, background music etc., everything was just TOP NOTCH! While everyone performed their roles to the fullest with no stone unturned, Somshekar Bolegaon and his partner stole the show for me. It's very unfortunate and heartbreaking that Somshekar Bolegaon passed. If he has alive, there are no 2 thoughts about him getting an award for best performance.

Don't think twice. Watch this movie and support all movies like this for KFI to prosper. To the Director, Story Writer, Producer, Actors, and rest of the crew - THANK YOU & KUDOS!! Waiting for more!

I was mind blown by the movie. The direction, the dialogues, the music everything is top notch. Everyone must watch this movie which makes us look into our own consciousness. The performances are so perfect that each character looks real. The storytelling is so engaging that it keeps you hooked to the screen. The way the movie starts giving an ode to the age old story of Scheherazade who survived the monstrous king by telling stories. The depiction of dystopian future makes us reflect that are we heading towards such catastrophe. We hardly get to see such movies these days which is about human emotions. This movie deserves all the love that it is getting.

I'm late to plug in this review since I caught the film in theaters during the release week and held my review, giving it another chance on OTT to see if my reserved thoughts would change. But they didn't.

Those familiar with anthology films will know how the narrative thread connects all things, even if it doesn't seem like it at first. In Roopanthara (2024), a genuine debut from director Mithilesh Edavalath, the engaging segments were half-baked, while others were more limited but ultimately came full circle. I wish the director had stuck to the arthouse tone and made this an OTT film. Somewhere, the mix of keeping it mainstream and going bleak didn't blend well. It could have gone full-on bleak and dark or catered more to the mainstream.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad in any way, but I felt this concept was a little darker, and I expected the thread to follow the same line. However, it was engaging in parts. I loved the briefly and violent scenes, which were done really well. Raj B Shetty nailed it during his sequence, acting with a subliminal touch.

While I did enjoy this film to an extent, I feel its key notion could have been better conveyed, and the genre hopping was too much.

It's a good watch and a worthy addition to the list of Kannada cinema this year. Some were meh but still okay efforts. I won't say which were meh, but I'm thinking Moorane Krishnappa, Chilli Chicken, Shakhahaari, Hejjaru, Family Drama, Blink, maybe Juni, which was a mixed bag and more on the pretentious side and the recent hit Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali. I know we had Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe and Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi, which could be included here, but they're more on the feel-good side.

In closing, Roopanthara is worth a shot, but don't expect a masterpiece. It's more like a decent indie film that's worth a watch if you like something different.