Aatagadharaa Siva - Movie Review

'Aatagadharaa Siva', directed by 'Aa Naluguru' fame director Chandra Siddarth, hits the screens this Friday. Let's find out what works and what doesn't work.
 
Story:
 
Jangayya (Doddanna) is a God-loving old man leading a virtuous lifestyle.  He is a hangman and sees his work as a duty. When he receives a call from the police department to be there to perform the hangman's duties, he sets out with his jeep.
 
The old man ends up meeting Babji (Uday), a convicted criminal who has escaped from the jail days before his scheduled hanging. Jangayya gives him a lift. Meanwhile, the police have announced Rs. 10 lakhs as prize money for anybody who can give information about Babji's whereabouts.  When Jangayya comes to know of Babji's true identity, he wants to help the police nab him.  
 
But unforeseen consequences follow when Aadi (Hyper Aadi) and Paru (Deepti), sincere lovers who have eloped, seek Jangayya's help. The Jangayya - Babji duo also ends up meeting Sridhar (Sandesh), a soldier.
 
Analysis:
 
'Aatagadharaa Siva' is the title taken from Tanikella Bharani's famous book of poems. The title denotes that the life and death is all Lord Siva's leela (game). The philosophical title has suited well to the theme of Chandra Siddarth's 'Aatagadharaa Siva', a film based on Kannada 2016 movie ' Rama Rama Re'.
 
The Kannada movie is a road movie and canters on a hangman and a convicted criminal. The basic plot point is very interesting: a convicted criminal who is about to be hanged escapes from prison and lands in the jeep of a hangman who is going to perform his job. This interesting conflict has adapted well by Chandra Siddharth by making the screenplay that all the coincidences that happen in the drama as Lord Siva's Divine Game.  Thus, philosophical thinking underpins 'Aatagadharaa Siva'.  
 
This road movie has many interesting characters, some good episodes but somewhere down the line it goes off-track. The subject of the film is appealing on paper. However, where it falters is in driving the mood, dilution of subject. The narration falters once the likes of Chammak Chandra and Hyper Aadi enter the screen. The latter is a very important character in the story, but there is an overdose of him. It's as if the director wants comedy to become the mainstay of the film rather than the conversations (which are very few and far between) involving Jangayya and Babji.  
 
Lines like 'Vedantam cheppevadiki balam undadu, balam unnavadiki Vedantam cheppe avasaram undadu' are nice.  'Shivude siksha, Shivude raksha' are also very natural. Journalist turned dialogue writer Muni Suresh Pillai has done a commendable job. Suresh Pillai and Bheem's work is good here.
 
After a point, Babji's silence becomes too much to bear. Even though the run-time is pretty much apt, the proceedings make it look longer than it actually is.  
 
Senior Kannada actor Doddanna's expressions have depth. He is perfect in the role. Uday as a first timer is okay. Hyper Aadi's comedy is repetitive. Deepthi is a good find.
 
Vasuki Vaibhav's music is gentle. Lavith's cinematography captures raw landscapes well. The film is mostly shot in Bijapur hills, the rough terrain and desert like villages does not give local feel, though. But the terrain adds certain character to the theme.  Navin Nooli's editing helps.
 
As a director Chandra Siddharth shows his mark in certain places though it is a remake movie. 

Bottom-line: 'Aatagadharaa Siva' is not a regular story. Its subject is mature, the underlying theme is philosophical. This off-beat movie has its moments but it is slow and goes off the mark at certain places.