If you are a staunch follower of Kannada films then you wouldn't have missed watching the trailer of "Kahi" which went online a year back. I am pretty sure you would have watched it multiple times for its different kind of feel, groovy music, some amazing shots, Yes the head-shot in the bathroom and the transition with which the title is shown, Reminds of Breaking Bad though.
The dark theme of human nature is seldom explored in Kannada film. "Kahi" is all about that. The bitterness and darkness where one lives for himself and his desires. The desires in traditional cinema are kind of larger than life but in this narrative it is an obvious necessity in the situation they get in or force themselves in. The film is basically a human drama with shades of a crime thriller. The narrative is mostly linear except for a flashback which seems to be very much required for bringing a closure. There is no hero, heroine or comic character. They fit into the present generation of urban Bangalore or any metropolitan city. One of them seems to have been portrayed in extreme probably because of the psychopath nature. The two female characters Krishi playing a wannabe novelist and Matangi playing a wannabe dancer know exactly what they want whereas the two male characters Harisharva playing a drug peddler and Suraj Gowda playing a merciless psychopath are discreet and are bound to run away from the circumstances they get into. All these characters are in distress and have something they are worried about. These characters cross paths at different times and moods sometimes taking the film to a high and sometimes just like ellipses to take the story forward. Its more of the "one event leads to another" kind of film. The film is bit slow in the first half giving in time for the characters to evolve but picks up pace in the later half. The film doesn't contain loud acting or loud dialogues. There is no message that the director wants you to take away nor there is anything like you will be entertained full on. Its a different kind of experiment to provide you an experience of a narrative. I have watched some short films attempting this kind of plots but probably this is the first feature at-least in Kannada. The run-time of approximately 100 minutes is considerably less compared to the normal films. Gives a feeling that more substance could have been there to explore on the characters and their arc. Maybe the script had it but may not have come on screen because of the budget or other constraints which usually haunt independent cinema. Some parts of it are extremely well executed whereas some have that amateurish feel. The film does carry the "independent look" flavor. The narrative is not free from faults. There are certain questions that come up on why and how will some of the characters do what they are doing based on the critical nature of the situation. Its a different kind of climax the film closes with and probably might raise concerns on why it ends that way. But then again it depends on the viewer on how he or she digests it.
So if you are a person familiar with Banashankari then you will have good time guessing the locations. Cinematography is kinda good but some shots are extremely good. You can witness some long shots especially the one in the party where Suraj Gowda is dragged for snorting a drug. The music is one of its kind and helps the film in several sequences maintaining the upbeat. Kind of reminds the OST of Hollywood films.
"Kahi" is not a masterpiece for which i will urge you to have a watch. However it does give you an opportunity to explore a different kind of narrative experimented in Kannada and that too on big screen. There is very less or probably no support from the industry for such films prior release and i don't feel this will get a backing that helped "RamaRamaRe" as this does not hail morality nor there is good meeting bad followed by transformation or juxtaposition of two extremes to drive in room for philosophy. All this film concentrates on is the dark human nature what we all are made of. If this film is backed it will be a good thing for independent films and we will get to see more experiments. This might not appeal a larger set and age- group because of the theme this film falls in. But i hope the audience with a varied taste will find this film interesting!
Arvind has gained your attention attempting to do something different with the trailer, character introduction and music and now it is the time for you to give a try for his and his teams effort. Prepare yourself for a different kind of experience and give this film a chance!
