'Kalki', starring Dr. Rajasekhar in the lead, hit the screens this Friday.  Here is our review of the investigative thriller.

Story:

The film is set in a Telangana village named Kollapur.  The story unfolds in 1983 when Narasappa (Ashutosh Rana) used to Lord over the village with an iron fist.

Kalki (Rajasekhar), an IPS officer, enters the village to investigate the murder of Sekhar Babu (Siddhu Jonnalagedda).  Crime reporter Devadatta (Rahul Ramakrishna) assists him in the endeavour.

Soon, Kalki stumbles upon some intriguing clues involving Asima (Nandita Swetha) and the drowning of three boats carrying pilgrims to Srisailam.

How are the disparate incidents and characters linked to Narasappa and his arch-rival Perumandlu (Shatru)?  Who killed Sekhar Babu, a hero for his villagers? What is the past of Kalki? Answers to these and other questions are found in the second half.

Analysis:

Director Prasanth Varma deploys heroism at regular intervals to rev up the proceedings.  This can be seen as his way of making up for the near-total absence of punchlines.  So, you see Kalki getting slow-motion elevation shots and four theme songs.  The hero doesn't talk much and his penetrating glares do the talking.

A key feature of the film is that it is an investigative thriller more when seen from the perspective of Rahul Ramakrishna's character, not Rajasekhar's.  The hero's demeanour drops enough hints that he is ahead of everyone else, and definitely leagues ahead of the crime reporter whose help he is apparently taking.

The first half introduces elements like communal disputes to mislead the audience and, truth to be told, this style of story-telling is not without its share of costs.  The screenplay also hoodwinks the audience into thinking that horror is an ingredient reserved for the second half.

Nasser plays a Sadhu whose concealed identity is a surprise.  The idea of Karma coming back is conveyed through this character. The element of a village where venomous snakes abound adds to the intrigue.  The Draupadi-Krishna allegory is smart.

The film should have played out the rivalry between Rana and Shatru in a more engaging manner.  It would have helped to have less of Rahul Ramakrishna, whose frustration and helplessness are over-indulged.  He is bumbling and not a character giving a voice to the audience's questions.

The screenplay (by Scriptsville) could have been intelligent.  In too many scenes, someone or the other storms into the centre out of nowhere.  It gets repetitive, and especially in the world of too many unfleshed characters and sub-plots, it's all unsettling.

There are facts that Kalki seems to come know accidentally when they should have been obvious to him right from the beginning.  The first face-off between him and the main villain lacks a build-up of tempo.

As performances go, everyone is adequate.  Rajasekhar looks debonair and dashing, his timing is absolutely convincing.  He is earnest in the love track with Adah Sharma, a track that is narrated in installments. Rana shows menace, Siddhu is subtle, Nandita, Jayaprakash, Nasser, Poojitha Ponnada fit the bill.  Scarlett Wilson is seen in a special song.

Shravan Bharadwaj's background score revs up many scenes, while the cinematography is largely satisfying.  The sound design is able, but the editing could have been crisp.

Verdict:

'Kalki' follows the template of an atypical murder mystery with a twist in the climax.  Technically rich, it could have presented a better screenplay to keep the excitement stable.  Rajasekhar delivers the goods.

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