If a man murders a one person, he is a murderer. But a man who murders millions becomes a conqueror. ~ Anant Nag in Kaddipudi
This happens to be my first review of a Kannada movie. Let me inform the reader that this one carries no spoilers. I have always despised bloodshed and glorified depiction of anti social characters on the silver screen. In spite of this prejudice, I watched the movie Kaddipudi as I had heard that it was a good movie on Twitter. So, here goes my reaction.
The movie begins with the the well-known criminal-who-turns-into-a -good guy narrative by the police commissioner (Anant Nag) about the protagonist Anand alias Kaddipudi (Shiv Rajkumar). The brilliant tone and voice of this seasoned actor (Anant Nag) compels me to call him the Morgan Freeman of Kannada cinema.
Kaddipudi happens to be an underworld kingpin who intends to stop all his nefarious activities and lead a decent life. In addition to this, he actively takes part in the police investigations as an informer. He still commands respect and instills fear in his profession and the locality. A local politician takes him under his wing and involves him in his semi-legitimate businesses. The first half is mixture of political rivalry, obscene criminal acts and subtle humour. Rangayana Raghu who plays ‘Jinke’ entertains the spectator with his witty dialogues and spicy humour. Fate plays the match-maker in bringing together the heroine Uma (Radhika Pandit) and the hero thanks to a series of comical coincidences.
The second half engages the audience in an heady cocktail of romance/sleaze, suspense and bloodshed; the latter being slightly tolerable though not recommended for the weak hearted. The movie gets predictable as heads roll, forcing the protagonist to stop being the prey and turn into a predator. However, the director Suri has served it to the viewer without loopholes. The movie ends with the victory of the protagonist and a hint that confirms a sequel to the movie.
Shivanna slips into the role of Kaddipudi effortlessly as he has a familiarity with such roles in his career. Radhika Pandit has grown out of her previous cutie roles and played a serious role that deserves commendation. Aindrita Ray is has scorched the screen in her brief yet bold performance which has made a lot of people raise their eye-brows in sandalwood. The camera person deserves praise for some great shots in the course of the movie. Last but not the least, Suri the director deserves credit for striking the right recipe for a movie that deserves success.
Kannada film industry has produced a good number of movies with the theme of goonda-ism and bloodshed, popularly known as the longu-macchu genre of movies. However this movie stands out from the rest as it has a solid plot, good script and a healthy dose of comedy.
Kaddipudi happens to be yet another goonda (semi-goonda) -flick for the aging actor. This movie must serve as a breather for his career which was functioning on a ventilator till the past few weeks. The director Suri can pat his back for giving a good movie to his fans. All in all, Kaddipudi deserves an 8 on a scale of 10.
I suggest the sweetie-softy young people to stay away from Kaddipudi. A must watch for all those have an inclination towards weekend entertainment if not authentic cinema.
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