Director: Vinod Kumar
Cast: Duniya Rashmi, Niranth and Rajesh Ramakrishna
Rating: 2 / 5 stars
Right time, wrong planning. That’s the case of Vinod Kumar’s directorial Kaarni, which delves into the subject of homosexuality. The suspense-thriller inspired by an English film has been adapted to suit Indian sensibilities. In short, Kaarni - Tanu (Rashmi) is mute and plots against five girls, who bullied her brother, Narahari. Tanu’s scheming and plotting is the crux of the story.
Kaarni’s overarching theme is the struggles faced by the LGBTQ + community. This, especially at the adolescent's stage, where acceptance is harder with peers, who may not understand the situation in totality.
A relevant and interesting subject, which has come out at the right time, the film is an eye-opener in certain ways. However, a weak storyline and poor execution doesn’t make it an edgy watch. The story, set in a colonial bungalow where Tanu lives, is more like a cat and mouse game between Tanu and Shankar (Niranth), with the latter constantly plotting to kill the former and the episode is stretched beyond imagination.
The film’s story mostly lies in the second half, when the director explains the reason behind the missing girl. Unfortunately, by that point, the attention of audience is lost. With no songs, the film’s background score does not impact to the suspense-thriller. Cinematographer puts the audience mostly through dark frames, thus making it difficult for viewing. While Vinod had the right ingredients, he doesn’t seem to have stirred up the right dish.