- Chetan Nadiger
Film: 3Devi
Producer: Altered Ego Entertainment
Director: Ashwin Matthew
Starring: Shubha Poonja, Sandhya Lakshminarayan, Jyotsna B Rao, Jayadev Mohan, Amanullah and others
Off late, women-oriented films in Kannada concentrate more on the socially relevant problems that women are facing in the society. In a rare instance this week’s release ‘3Devi’ is an out and out commercial film with women fighting against poachers.
The film starts off with Maria (Sandhya) running away from her marriage. She is joined by her friend and actress Vijayalakshmi (Shubha Punja) and an assistant director called Sharanya (Jyotsna). All the three face different problems and they decide to take a break. They travel towards Kerala and stays in a resort. They decide to go trekking where they find a poacher creating a havoc in the forest. The poacher goes behind them which leads to various disturbing moments. Will they escape from them is the question that will be answered in the theaters.
Like the film has three heroines, the film has three different tracks tucked it int. While, the first one is about the three friends, the second is about the poacher and third is about a producer and his assistant who travels in search of the friends.
Though writer-director Ashwin Matthew makes a different and daring attempt in his debut venture, he could have worked more on the story and the screenplay. The first half of the film has nothing much and is very lengthy. The film actually gains pace only in the second half of the film particularly, after the three friends enter the forest. Then it is action and adventure all along.
In spite of a few loop holes in the screenplay, the director brings in class and mass elements in the film neatly. The Tiger episode and the ‘Gorukana’ song particularly gains the attention of the audience. However, the Tiger episode just becomes a passing reference and is nothing more than that.
The highlight of the film is the director’s take on the film industry. The track of Jayadev and Amanullah is a mirror to the film industry. It shows the plight of the producers who are producing films amidst various problems. Shubha Poonja also caters through her role about what all the problems the heroines are facing in the film industry. Many issues including male chauvinism are showcased through humorous dialogues in the film. All these problems are shown in a comic style and makes the audience laugh.
All the three heroines including Shubha Poonja, Sandhya Lakshminarayan and Jyotsna B Rao have done good job. The three also are good in action. Jayadev Mohan and Amanullah as the producer and his assistant shine in their roles.
The technical values of the film are good, particularly the cinematography by Kunjunni S Kumar. Songs by Doss Mode and Fidel Ashok are good.
