Dana Kayonu (Kannada)
Director: Yogaraj Bhat
Cast: Duniya Vijay, Priyamani, Rangayana Raghu, Suchendra Prasad, Vaijanath Biradar, Veena Sundar, Advani Lakshmi Devi
If his compulsion to add multiple glitzy songs and slow-motion action sequences are set aside, Yogaraj Bhat actually presents an engaging story in his latest film, Dana Kayonu. With realistic and intriguing plot twists, the film actually keeps you entertained up until the end. And a lot of the credit for this is owed to Bhat’s writing but almost in equal measure to Priyamani’s performance. Especially in the second half, it is Priyamani that carries the film on her shoulders and breathes strength into her character.
The filmis as much about the cowherds of a village as it is about the village itself. Bhat gives us solid characters, each equipped with a quirk of their own. First, we meet Kempu aka Docomo (Vijay), Krishnappa (Vaijanath Biradar) and Subsidy (Rangayana Raghu), who are cowherds. Docomo wants to marry Jummi (Priyamani), an ambitious and independent woman who lives with her grandmother. Jummi could not care less about Docomo’s advances, for her heart is set on her ambition of becoming a police officer.
Overseeing the entire village’s affairs is a Chairman (Suchendra Prasad) whose father was killed by a bull owned by Krishnappa’s father. And ever since that attack, the chairman’s wife (Veena Sundar) is paranoid that her husband will be killed soon too. She begs the Chairman to ask the cowherds to leave the village.
In his introduction of these characters itself, Bhat lays bare the tenuous relationships between them. What he needs is a conflict that will accentuate these relationships and turn up the heat even more. A multinational corporation wants to buy Shankara, a rare breed of a bull owned by Docomo and is willing to offer crores of rupees in return. Now, what this information does to each character forms the rest of the story. How each character views the bull forms the crux of the film.
Dana Kayonu is a tale that explores human nature by contrasting it with that of the animal’s. How far can one go to fulfil their aspirations? And what if one’s aspiration is merely to survive, asks Bhat?
The problem with the film, however, is that it also tries to be a ‘mass’ film. Fewer songs and slight trimming of some of the fight scenes would have definitely made the film tighter and more focussed. There are some nice touches throughout the film though: the camera sways like the animal’s head in a few scenes, ‘Docomo’s name has an interesting back story, the lyrics for the song Paisa Illade and Haalu Kudida Makkale manage to strike a chord, to name a few.
While Bhat has penned a pretty strong role for Priyamani, in her performance, she gives it more depth and nuance. She easily overshadows Vijay and even Rangayana Raghu, who delivers an exaggerated performance. Vaijanath Biradar too is an incredibly talented actor. Advani Lakshmi Devi is underutilised in the film but she manages to capture your attention in the few scenes that she appears in.
Could the film have been a little more subtle? Yes. Could it have cut out all the commercial elements? Yes. But do they weigh down the film? Not so much.
