Film: Dollu
Producer: Pavan Wadeyar and Apeksha Purohit
Director: Sagar Puranik
Starring: Karthik Mahesh, Nidhi Hegde, Sharanya Suresh, Babu Hirannaiah, Chandra Mayur and others
Stars: 3
There are many films which talks about the migration of youth from villages to cities. Debutante director Sagar Puranik’s ‘Dollu’ which has won the Best Feature Film at the National level is also one similar story, but set in a different backdrop.
‘Dollu’ tells the story of Dollu artiste, who not only wants to make Dollu (an art form) a sustainable livelihood, but also wants to take it forward to the next generation. The film is all about breaking age-old barriers to save an age old art form from dying.
The film revolves around Bhadra a folk artiste who performs during the event at a temple in a small village in Karnataka. Performing once a year is a tradition that has been followed over generations and is considered as a service to the god. Bhadra is continuing his family’s legacy along with a group of youths. Slowly the youths find it difficult to meet their ends in the small village and plan to move to the city. Can Bhadra bring them all back and revive the tradition as well as the art form forms the crux of the film.
‘Dollu’ looks like an art cinema. But Sagar makes it a commercial entertainer with lots of emotions, romance. Sagar doesn’t make it complex with his narratives, but simply tells a story in a straight format. The first half of the film is crisp; the second half of the film is a bit lagging and repetitive. Moreover, the film is very predictable and doesn’t surprise the audience. The film ends in a positive note that if we change our perspectives, then an art form can be revived.
One of the highlights of the film is, it doesn’t revolve around a single character but few characters which take the story forward. The film has a lot of newcomers and everybody has put in their effort to take the film one step ahead. Bhadra played by Karthik Mahesh and his girl friend Priya played by Nidhi Hegde are two actors to be watch out for in the future. The seniors including Babu Hirannaiah and Chandra Mayur has given adequate support to the newcomers.
Another highlight is of course the Dollu Kunitha. The ancient art form which includes rhythmic drum beating and synchronized dance moves is not only well choreographed, but beautifully captured by cinematographer Abhilash Kalathi.
Though ‘Dollu’ is a predictable entertainer, the film can be easily watched once.
