Bagheera

The Pan India phenomenon that has touched the Kannada film industry in the last few years has become more of a bane to the Kannada cinema of late. Some filmmakers have tried too hard to make their movie to push for a Pan India release despite the lack of quality. This has also resulted in movies taking a longer time to be released after having spent a lot of money on the hype throughout its making cycle. There have been some good movies in the mix in the past year but Bagheera is that commercial movie which brings the much needed limelight back to Kannada industry. The vigilante/superhero angle is a rarely experimented genre in Kannada cinema and Bagheera does it quite well. Kudos to Hombale films and the director Dr Suri for promoting this movie the right way and not overhyping it.

The initial teaser and trailer of the movie looked good but it also made me very skeptical on how the movie looked heavily inspired by Black Panther or Batman. While it cannot be ruled out entirely, the director acknowledges the influence of Hollywood superheroes within the script. The story is not very unique or mind blowing but it is not too predictable either. While the movie being divided into chapters works sometimes, it sometimes feels abrupt. Some scenes in the first half are very short and the movie cuts into the next scene without much of a transition. The movie very practically portrays being a part of a corrupt system as a cop. The director very crisply integrates the family sentiment without too much drama. There is also a very good pay-off at the end for the same. As soon as the vigilante chapter of the movie kicks in, the action sequences keep on coming. The action sequences in the first half are artistically violent and provide some goosebump moments, The action sequences post the interval are slick at times but mostly over the top and not entirely practical. The climax fight seems very hurried and unconvincing and could have been set in a better surroundings. Cinematography and music work very well for most parts of the movie. The background score and the main title theme is very important for a movie like this and Ajneesh Loknath does a good job at not making it seem jarring. The songs mostly play in the background and there are no unnecessary song placements. There is no separate track for comedy but there are few lighthearted moments well integrated by using the main characters.

Sriimurali is a very underrated action star of South Indian cinema and it is always good to see him in roles like this. He has a very good screen presence to do action/mass movies like these. While Ugramm is still celebrated to this day, he hasn't really got a great boost from his releases post Ugramm apart from Mufti (which was a multistarrer). Bagheera is a much needed break for him and I hope he chooses more crispy scripts like this in the upcoming days. He looks the part throughout and is definitely the soul of the movie. Garuda Ram as the primary antagonist does look and act menacing but his character's evil arc isn't very convincing. There are many other co-antagonists (not sure if that is the right way of putting it) who feed very well into Bagheera's action episodes but their roles are very less explored. Rukmini Vasanth as the female lead is near perfect in her limited role. Prakash Raj and Rangayana Raghu's characters definitely stand out among the rest of the supporting characters. Both characters have great character arcs.

Bagheera may not be the most awaited or hyped Kannada Pan India release but it is a quality film for the scale that is. This sure is a refreshing Kannada action/superhero movie without any jarring elements.