Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru(SB)

Cast: Karthik Attavar,Sangeetha Bhat,Sampath Raj,Anu Prabhak

Direction: Ashwath Samuel

Producer : Harish Bangera, Dubai

Rating : 3.5/5

Mangaluru, Feb 3: The Kannada movies made by filmmakers of coastal Karnataka, are famed to have brought about a renaissance in Sandalwood. ‘Anuktha’ which released this week is another best example on how the talented directors from the coast are bringing innovations in all departments of the industry.

Anuktha, released across Karnataka on 1 February, is being widely appreciated by the audience. The movie is a suspense thriller with a clean story which is very close to reality.

Director Ashwath Samuel has managed to intricately craft the culture and lifestyle of people of coastal Karnataka in the movie. The entire film revolves around the murder of a political leader and the investigation of that murder. Karthik, a special officer is assigned to investigate the case. But interestingly at a particular point, the family members of the investigation officer become part of the story which keeps the entire plot alive and nail biting.

40 percent of the story shows the presence of a spirit who is known as the wife of the landlord. The hurdles during investigation, involvement of unknown spirit, provoke the audience to become self investigators and come up with different speculations. But officer Karthik finds the truth which is an unexpected surprise.

The first half of the movie gives importance to romance of lead characters and the screenplay is a pleasant presentation for the eyes. But when it comes to second half, the story suddenly becomes more interesting. Lead actors Sampath and Sangeetha Bhat are convincing.

Most of the actors have justified their characters with decent performances. The director has succeeded in narrating the story creatively. The technical team has done an excellent job which is very important for the success of horror suspense movies. There are minimal mistakes that do not affect the flow of film. The movie makers have succeeded in inserting the songs in right places. The background music matches the tempo of the film and the cinematography also stands out.

Somewhere the audiences feel that native elements and part of local Daiva Kola could have been added. ‘Anukta’ is another gift for sandalwood from the coastal Karnataka. In his first attempt itself, Ashwath Samuel has succeeded and majority of new actors of the movie have impressed the audience and industry. It may not be a hero based mass movie but a visit to the theaters, won’t be a disappointment.

Anuktha is an interesting crime narrative with elements of psychological drama and horror suspense, which keeps the momentum going.