Shivalinga (Kannada)
Director: P. Vasu
Cast: Shivarajkumar, Avinash, Urvashi, Vedhika, Chandrashekhar
One thing you will not fail to notice while watching Shivalinga is its eerie similarity to older horror-psychological thrillers like Apthamitra (2004) and Aptha Rakashaka (2010), both directed by P. Vasu.
So how is Shivalinga different? In Apthamitra , a remake of Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993), the director had the backing of a fantastic script by Madhu Muttam, with its teasing ambiguity between the paranormal and the psychological and the final assertion of the latter. But with Aptha Rakshaka and Shivalinga , both scripted by Vasu himself, he throws that thin line to the winds, asserting that ghosts are real.
In Shivalinga , the ghost of a murdered man investigates his own death with the help of a pigeon. It is a crime thriller, but here the cop only ‘aides’ the ghost. Shiva’s wife gets possessed by the ghost of the murdered man and the suspense is built on her involvement in the murder probe.
The central character, Shiva, played by Shivarajkumar, is an exoticised version of a CID cop. Strangely, his office and a police club are in a sprawling star hotel setting! Another aspect of the film that appears ludicrous is the pigeon being witness to the murder and later, playing sleuth.
Though the build-up works well, the climax, which is stolen straight out of an Agatha Christie novel, is a letdown as the final revelation turns out to be a damp squib.
The ghost, disappointingly, is without any ambiguity. It comes packed with stereotypes — a whitened, disfigured face and a shrill voice. The linear narrative slacks with songs, two of which are reserved for eulogising the hero, that rudely butt into the flow. The cinematography, with the jarring Dutch angles, the rather unpleasant background score, and even the comedy track follow all the stereotypes of the horror genre. The subplot of a young-boy ghost is left unresolved. A parody on women in cooking shows almost borders on mockery, and a good actress like Urvashi is wasted in this role.
The only saving grace is Shivarajkumar, who recently crossed the 50-mark. He appears fit and performs well. If only he was aided by a good script!
