Roopanthara movie review: Raj B Shetty stars in an engaging anthology on self-transformation

Raj B Shetty in ‘Roopanthara’.
| Photo Credit: Lighter Buddha Films/YouTube

Mithilesh Edavalath’s Roopanthara (Transformation) is a fine example of how an idea is as good as its presentation. The four-story anthology, starring and co-written (dialogues and additional screenplay) by Raj B Shetty, is an interesting film on the importance of self-transformation. 

Nothing in Roopanthara is revelatory, but Mithilesh treats each of his stories as mini-epics and makes them engaging, even if you get constantly reminded of the rudimentary nature of his writing. Take, for instance, the episode involving a beggar’s (Lekha Naidu) arrest for the alleged crime of kidnapping a baby.

An influential and retired army man calls these downtrodden people “elements” to be eliminated from the world. He wants her in jail because his privilege makes him see her as a confirmed criminal.

It’s an open secret that affluent people have their say in police stations. So, the core of the story is basic, yet the proceedings inside the station are immensely watchable because of the director’s execution. The dialogues are sharp and witty, reflecting the frustrated state of the cops. The casting is brilliant, as the actor who plays the influential man is perfectly suited to portray an annoying character; you feel like punching him for insensitively flaunting his privilege.

Mithilesh treats this episode like a thriller, with Praveen Shriyan’s intentionally shaky camerawork adding much-needed intensity to the scenes. The director uses a constable (Bharath GB) as the story’s narrator, and the innocent new joinee keeps asking his senior how the case will unfold.

In the story of a boy with a troubled childhood, Mithilesh unravels the episode like a ticking time bomb, aided by Midhun Mukundan’s dramatic background score. The boy, a drug addict, gets into anti-social activities, and becomes a threat to society. The character, portrayed in a dark tone, comes across as believable, considering what he has undergone as a child.

The best episode involves an old couple from a village. The banter between them is terrific as the improbable dreams of the duo outshine their poverty-stricken life. The director beautifully avoids melodrama until we find out that the wife is ailing from a terminal illness. Her biggest desire, to enjoy a day in Bengaluru, is shattered. But the idea also seems like a lost opportunity as the director fails to organically generate sympathy for the characters.

In the fourth story, Raj plays a goon who gets into a needless brawl with an IT employee (played by Jaishankar Aryar, director of Shivamma). Again, a seemingly ordinary idea is made interesting through a realistically choreographed scuffle between the two, and its outcome is something you never would have imagined.

As with most anthologies, the stories don’t conclude as effectively as they should. Another complaint, especially against new-age Kannada filmmakers, is their overemphasis on philosophy. In a futuristic portion, the director repeatedly conveys his disappointment that the world has become an ugly mess. He uses the idea of a humble worm turning into a butterfly as a metaphor for the need for people’s transformation to make the world a better place. Somehow, you feel a conscious effort by him towards spoon-feeding this idea and drilling home his philosophy about conscience. Why not just narrate a story and leave it for the people to reflect upon it?

Nevertheless, Mithilesh makes a confident debut. He shows enough signs of a director skillful enough to execute his ideas with conviction; it’s his thoughts that need to get more edgy and daring.

Roopanthara hits screens on July 26