Kannada film industry is apparently witnessing a revival. Social media is flooding with reviews of ‘Su from So’ more than any other film ever before – because Raj B Shetty called upon the audiences to be the promoters of the film, and the audience SHOWED UP. We must admit that if this was intended to be the core marketing strategy, Raj B Shetty and his team have played the biggest marketing trump card ever played in the film industry in what might be zero budget. They knew they have made a good movie, and all they did was called in the Kannada audiences to break the recent stereotypes associated with Kannada movie industry. It worked and how!
‘Sulochana from Someshwara’ is barely a picture of a deceased woman on the wall of rickety hut in Someshwara where a widowed woman Bhanu (played by Sandhya Arakere) lives alone, tormented by her uncle who cannot leave her alone. But the story isn’t about her. She doesn’t even appear until quite later in the movie even though the story actually centres around her. Until she is brought on screen, Su from So is basically a circus – a laughter riot that makes the audience thoroughly enjoy the whole duration. A bunch of drunkards in a village cannot bring themselves to bother about anything beyond food, drinks and celebrations, until one of them plays an elaborate trick on them.
Ashoka, played by JP Tuminad (director) himself, enacts being possessed by a spirit in order to escape being caught while he attempted some misconduct with a girl in the village he was fond was. The consequences of the theatrics go completely out of hands when the entire village gets involved and Ashoka is subjected to all kinds of exorcism rituals that are hilarious and sarcastic. JP Tuminad has delivered a brilliant performance; but Shanil Guru as Ravi anna steals the show with his nonchalant yet loud presence throughout the film. Ravi anna’s character is rather well written – he is considerably mature, but is withheld from making reasonable life decisions thanks to peer influence. Such a man deserves some appreciable ending – and through twists and turns, Su from So delivers just that at the end.
Unforgettably, Raj B Shetty makes an appearance as a monk in the movie and sets the comic trajectory on a new level altogether. The entire character array is a perfect blend of raw, naturally hilarious and generally clueless men who form a heart-warming entourage despite their many shortcomings. The village sustains itself as they uphold a system that can only be understood by someone born into it – any outsider will have a lot of questions and accusations to make: a factor I noticed in many social media reviews. I’ll not delve into them because I liked the film and didn’t find anything offensive enough to point out here, and the positives triumph over any negatives in Su from So.
Most people loved how hilarious the film is; but as mentioned above, the story was the highlight for me. The hints to the storyline begin at the very beginning of the film when Ashoka opens the door to the house where spirits were apparently feasting – and there’s a foreshadowing of what might follow. Two disconnected worlds of Ravi anna and Bhanu are weaved together by Ashoka and his ridiculous act of being possessed by Sulochana. There wasn’t a minute of boredom as the tale unfolded for 2.17 hours. Lighter Buddha and JP Tuminad have knocked it out of the park with this one.
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