Film: Valavaara
Producer: J Giridhar and Anirudh Goutham
Director: Sutan Gowda
Starring: Master Vedik Kaushal, Master Shayan, Malathesh, Harshitha Gowda, Abhay and others
Compared to the rest, Kannada films hold the record of making highest number of children’s films. However, in the recent times, most of the films are stereotyped with issues like children trying to save Government school and fighting for some social cause.
However, this week’s release ‘Valavaara’ is an exception to that. ‘Valavaara’ is a feel-good film which revolves around a small family in rural Karnataka. The film tells the story of a boy called Kundesi who is fearful of his father.
Kundesi (Master Vedika Kaushal) often thinks about why his father (Malathesh), treats him with anger and disappointment. His sadness grows when he sees his father loving his younger brother Kosudi (Master Shayan) without any conditions. The only person who truly understands Kundesi is his mother by Harshitha Gowda, who is very important to him.
Once, Kundesi and Kosudi takes their cow for grazing and the cow goes missing. Without the cow, he feels too scared to return home and face his father, whom he both fears and dislikes. What happens next forms the crux of the film.
‘Valavaara’ is a warm and comforting film that brings back a sense of softness that had been missing in Kannada cinema. Every event in the story is linked to Kundesi’s effort to find his cow, and each mistake he makes leaves us feeling sad for him.
Debutant director Sutan Gowda tells the story in a simple and controlled way, avoiding unnecessary drama. He narrates the film in a simple manner. Despite its leisurely pace, the film stays compelling and engaging.
One of the highlights of the film, is the mother-son bonding. Their relationship brings emotional depth and presents the familiar mother–child bond in a touching way. Comedy is also one of the strengths of the film. The humour comes from funny situations and clever conversations, mainly involving Yadhu (Abhay), a carefree young man who spends his time secretly meeting his girlfriend.
‘Valavaara’ keeps a good mix of tension and hope through most of its almost two-hour length. The film feels slightly slow in places. However, these small flaws are easy to overlook because of the strong performances by the main actors. All the five including Master Vedik Kaushal, Master Shayan, Malathesh, Harshitha Gowda and Abhay have done a neat job. The beautiful visuals by Balaraja Gowda and the emotional background music by Manikanth Kadri add greatly to the film’s impact.
‘Valavaara’ is a feel-good film and a nice watch. Don’t miss it.
