RJ-turned-director Mayuraa Raghavendra’s Kannad Gothilla could have been a fun-filled rhapsody had he dealt with the intense subject in a subtle way to send across an important message about the importance of local language.
Instead, he twists the story with a crime angle, making it lose the sheen, and sending an erroneous message. While the intent is honest, the execution is flawed.
Mayuraa’s aim was to assert the fact that almost every second person residing in Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, is an outsider to the state as well as the language. With no compulsion to learn the local language, non-Kannadigas usually get away with just two words -- Kannad Gothilla.
Stressing on the correct usage -- ‘It is not Kannad, it is Kannada’ which is the crux of the film, Kannad Gothilla revolves around eight people, all of them non-Kannadigas, who go missing.
Among them are those who have taken a ride on a cab driven by Manjunath (Dharmanna).
A patriotic Kannadiga, he often gets to interact with people who do not understand the local language, and loses his temper when he hears the two words -- Kannad Gothilla.
What starts as a normal case of missing persons handled by Harshavardhan (Mayuraa Raghavendra) gets a serious turn when a senior officer, played by Sudharani, comes into the picture.
She escalates the case to police officer Sruthi Chakarvarthi (Hariprriya) who goes about solving it. She questions a few suspects, including cab drivers, and later learns that it is an insider job. What led this particular person to commit the murders takes the audience back and forth, ending with an abrupt climax.
The issue of the need for Karnataka residents to learn Kannada is a thought-provoking storyline raised by Mayuraa, who has written the story and the screenplay, and also plays a character in the film.
However, it does not sync well with the crime episode, and ultimately sends out a wrong message -- that there could be malice if Kannada is not spoken.
Hariprriya’s popularity as an investigative officer in her earlier film, D/o of Parvathamma, has put the actor in a similar role here, and she plays it with a lot of ease.
The film features a limited number of characters, and among those who stand out are Pavan, who plays a character with grey shades, and Dharmanna, who is seen as the cab driver. Cinematographer Giridhar Divan has captured some excellent aerial views of Bengaluru.
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All in all, Kannad Gothilla works in parts, and the takeaway for the viewer is one’s passion for the language.