Film: Shathaya Gathaya
Director: Sandeep Gowda
Cast: Raghu Ramappa, Sonika Gowda
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
A little less than two hours that don’t seem to pass. An illogical narrative that claims to be inspired from real-life issues. A film that will make you wonder if the new-age content that Sandalwood has been working on, was just a phase. Shathaya Gathaya: A mystery of revenge, director Sandeep Gowda will make you sit at the edge of your seat, only because of its inability to engage with the audience.
In short, the film revolves around a series of murders taking place in Hirisave village, which the villagers believe have been committed by ghosts. Agreeing with them is the police department. But the fact of the matter is that two youngsters are involved in the killings. And their motive for the murder, which leads us up to the climax, is to destroy the demons. What is beyond the audience is that even though the two boys take law into their own hands, the police let them off scot-free, believing they have done justice to society by getting rid of the evil.
Considering that it is a true story, director Sandeep has not been able to bring to screen the ‘believable’ factor. Even basics --handling the camera, storyline, acting--lessons that one would assume would have been mastered before venturing into the industry, is lacking.An amateur piece of work from every angle, what is disappointing from the audience’s point of view including the delivery from lead actors Raghu Ramappa and Sonika Gowda. Not to mention the other supporting artistes. Even a few known faces such as Kuri Pratap, Govinde Gowda and senior actor Umesh, who have done better in their previous films, appear to be lacking, especially since their roles are minuscule. Their double entendre, sexist comedy scenes are forced into the film.
Sitting through Shathaya Gathaya (meaning at any cost) felt like the film was done only because of surplus financial resources and investment. A money buster for the filmmakers, for audience looking for thought-provoking material, this film only discourages them from watching films on the big screen. We suggest you to skip this film at any cost, and this will be the best form of revenge.