Rudratandava (Kannada)
Director: Guru Deshpande
Cast: Chiranjeevi Sarja, Radhika Kumaraswamy, Girish Karnad, Ravishankar, Kumar Govind, Chikkanna
After experiencing a fresh breeze of cinema in Mythri and Benkipatna , the audience watching Rudratandava will be forced to endure a quintessential revenge drama full of mindless violence and bloodbath.
The much-talked-about movie is the story of a “peace loving” common man who takes on the granite mafia. The film is a remake of PandiyaNaadu (Tamil) starring Vishal and Lakshmi Menon.
Shivaraj (Chiranjeevi Sarja), a humble man who does not want to invite troubles in his life, falls in love with Janhavi (Radhika Kumaraswamy), a school teacher. His brother (Kumar Govind) is an honest government official who falls into the bad books of mafia don Narasimha (Ravishankar) and is “eliminated”. Shivaraj and his grieving father Guru (Girish Karnad) resolve to take revenge.
Besides celebrating violence, Guru Deshpande cashes in on strong family bonds to keep viewers engaged in this revenge story. The film moves slowly when the focus is on family drama and romance, but post-interval it leads to an engaging climax.
Rudratandava is also the story of Kolar, known as Kolahalapura (violent city) during the middle ages, as it was the battlefield for warring kingdoms of Chalukyas in the north and Cholas of the south.
Though Chiranjeevi Sarja is in the lead, veteran actor Girish Karnad steals the show. Chikkanna excels as Chiru’s sidekick and provides the much-needed comic relief.
MURALIDHARA KHAJANE
