Film: Andar Bahar (Kannada)
Cast: Shivarajkumar and Parvathy
Director: Phaneesh S Ramanathapura
Perhaps one of the most crisp and crude gangster movie in the recent times, Andar Bahar comes alive because of Shivarajkumar's unusual persona in the movie. It is definitely a mixed bag from debutante director Phaneesh S Ramanathapura. On the one hand, it overflows with heavy handed messages on topics of live-in relationships, and marriage while on the other side, the hero is unafraid to expose the unsympathetic qualities of his character.
The result: a remarkable drama.
This moving film starts with a chor-police chase with Suriya (Shivarajkumar), a notorious don attempting to kill his rival, Satya. To get away from law, Suriya and his two friends head to Karwar where he meets Suhasini (Parvathy), who is working in the management section of a hospital. Suriya falls for Suhasini's good nature but she has confessed at the church that she had dreamt of marrying a sincere police officer. Suriya, in an attempt to win Suhasini's heart, covers up his criminal side and says that he is a police officer and in fact takes help from his friend Raghu, who brings drama artists to act as Suriya's parents. Suhasini is impressed and gets married to him and the family settles in Goa. On the other hand, Shivaraj Patil (Shashikumar), an investigative officer is on a hunt to catch Suriya. The couple's life goes on smoothly till Suhasini is admitted to the hospital after she suffers from Sacroiliac disease. Whether Suriya is successful in keeping his wife alive...will Suhasini actually know the other side of Suriya?...where will the twist and turns between the husband and wife end?, is the crux of the story.
The story wisely emphasises on the human element, where the director concentrates on the criminal husband and the diseased wife and allows the rest to speak for themselves. The climax which is a confrontation between the husband and wife is worth watching.
Shivarajkumar's guarded performance is a good watch as here we don't see intense violence like most of his previous films. While Shivarajkumar as Suriya comes like an enigmatic warning on the dangers of excessive ambition, on the other side, Parvathy as Suhasini is pleasing and brings out the elicit facial responses throughout the movie. Arundathi Nag, Srinath and Shashi Kumar have supported well. Excellent music by Vijay Prakash who has attempted to score for the first time with Andar Bahar, which promptly matches the moods and scenes of the film. Technically everything else falls in place though a wee bit pretentious which explores the inside and outside personalities of the two actors.
The Verdict : Hope the other side of Shivarajkumar works wonders with the audience. A must-see for an all round fine performance.