‘Graamaayana’ movie review: Powered by intense moments

Music composer Poornachandra Tejaswi has such a limited filmography that it’s easy to overlook his presence in the Kannada film industry. Yet, there is no doubting his talent, seen in his remarkable debut, Lucia. In Graamaayana, he is the backbone of director Devanuru Chandru. Tejaswi complements every emotional beat of the movie with his superb score, and his songs — perhaps the best album in Kannada this year — elevate the film.

Apart from music, intense moments power the rural drama. The film’s core is built around a familiar idea. The protagonist, Seena (Vinay Rajkumar), faces the harsh realities of the village’s power structure. At every step, he faces the task of navigating his oppressors (corrupt politicians). When his tractor is burned down, he switches from agriculture to the cable TV business. Even that is quelled by his rivals. When pushed to the wall, he decides to stand up and expose the fraudsters to the gullible villagers.

The film’s well-written scenes are anchored by strong performances. Graamaayana is Vinay’s career best, and Megha Shetty brings great conviction to all the emotionally charged conversations. Gopalkrishna Deshpande emerges as the best performer of the lot, playing a cold-blooded antagonist devoid of conventional villainy.

The director confronts caste discrimination when Seena asks, “Is it wrong to love someone?” The film takes a clear stand with the oppressed with small touches, like a college professor saying, “In history, it’s the poor who suffer in every war.” There are some sharp dialogues, the best one being, “A woman has the right to choose her partner.”

The idea of villagers wanting to stick to their roots rather than migrating to Bengaluru to build their lives is admirable. There is a reason why many characters in the film talk about watching the hit film Duniya. In that movie, the lead character is an innocent villager who moves to Bengaluru to save his ailing mother, and then gets entangled in the city’s underworld. So, perhaps, through these references, the director of Graamaayana is hinting at the tragic realities of the urban-rural divide.

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Graamaayana suffers from tonal issues. Some of the fight scenes are shown in slow motion, celebrating Seena as a heroic character. It’s quite jarring because this movie requires the characters to be more real than larger-than-life. Seena is called “Sixth Sense Seena” for his quick thinking. But sometimes, he loses his cool, inviting trouble. The occasional melodrama is also a drawback. The hit dance number, ‘Benki’, suffers from poor placement, as it comes on the back of a very poignant scene.

Graamaayana might feel a bit wobbly because of the jumbled screenplay. Director Chandru struggles a bit in balancing the message with the entertainment. That said, Graamaayana doesn’t milk often-used tropes like village politics and the plight of farmers. Chandru gives his best to weave these themes into an engaging narrative.

Graamaayana is currently runnin in theatres