Capturing the essence of television viewing in the 1980s and 90s, debutant director Sukesh Shetty’s Dooradarshana offers a delightful take on the TV, which was not just a household property, but a facilitator of community gathering and an instrument nurturing togetherness. But the director also sensibly stitches narratives that are good but are a bit dated at times.
The story is set in a village and revolves around the Ramakrishna Bhat (Sundar Veena) family. A rich landlord in the village who lives with his wife (Harini) and son Manu (Pruthvi Ambaar), is known to be money minded and a control freak, who has a lot of misunderstandings with his son. Ramakrishna also holds a grudge against his brother Srinivas (Raghu Ramanakoppa), and they don’t stay together. Meanwhile, Srinivas is gifted with a television by his brother-in-law which he temporarily leaves at his elder brother’s house. Though Ramakrishna initially hates the arrangement, he realises the prestige of having a television at home and slowly gets attached to it, especially the mythological drama Ramayan played on DD. However, the pleasant feeling is short-lived when the TV goes missing!
Intertwined within this narrative are various subplots including Manu’s romantic life with Mythri (Ayaana), an encounter with a childhood friend Kitty (Ugramm Manju), and a golden jubilee celebration at his college. All of this centred around the television.
Will the materialistic object bring happiness to Ramakrishna Bhat’s life, or will he get rid of it, is explained through various emotions.
The trailer promised an insightful journey of a family, and their problems dealing with the television, and Sukesh Shetty initially succeeds in hooking the audience and takes us through the excitement and madness of having a TV at home. But eventually, it settles for being a family drama with unsettling situations, devoid of realism.
While the script penned by the director has tried to bring nostalgic moments through his storytelling, he touches upon more than a couple of issues to tell in one film, and some episodes and scene placement feel illogical.
Pruthvi Ambaar as the lead blends into the story and does a fine job. For the first time, Sundar Veena, who usually plays a supporting actor gets ample screen time. Ayaana is charming while Ugramm Manju also gets a notable role to play. The rest of the actors, including Comedy Khiladigalu artistes Suraj, Karthik, and Surya Kundapura deliver good performances. Music by Vasuki Vaibhav that lifts the mood and background score combined with Arun Suresh’s cinematography helps to convey complex emotions. The very name, Dooradarshana gives nostalgic moments, and this film which has television as its soul makes for a decent watch if you like relishing old memories.
Dooradarshana
Director: Sukesh Shetty
Cast: Pruthvi Ambaar, Ayaana, Sundar Veena, Harini, and Ugramm Manju