‘Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage’ review: A delightful hyperlink crime thriller

Express News Service

With ‘Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage’, debutant director Sridhar Shikaripura has taken creative filmmaking a step further. Using his narrative as a kaleidoscope, Sridhar has taken a look at characters as different pieces of stories, reassembling them to stitch convincing new possibilities.

A full-fledged hyperlink subject is rarely attempted in Kannada, and Sridhar’s intelligent narrative makes a complex script an interestingly riveting story that takes place in one night. The slow-burn thriller showcases cosmopolitan Bengaluru and the city plays a key role in the stories about people coming from different backgrounds. 

To begin with, the film takes us through the life of Aadi (Naveen Shankar), a boxer, who has a goal to achieve. There is Shreya (Aishani Shetty), who gets addicted to drugs. Shivu (Yash Shetty) is eager to meet his parents after five years. Slow Motion (Nitesh Mahaan) is heartbroken and wants to end his life, and his friend Marayade Ramana (Prakash Thuminad) counsels him against the decision. Another track is about Antony (Bala Rajawadi) who is part of the underworld, and involves Parachute (Siddu Moolimani) and Disco (Omkar) in the mafia too. There is also an episode about girl trafficking run by Desai (Mohan Juneja).

There are many other relevant characters, all living in the same town, who directly or indirectly meet each other in one night. How the lives of these various characters get intertwined is the crux of Dharani Mandala Madhyadholage. Coincidence is the theme of the subject, and it is about how someone’s actions can affect ours. The underlying message of the crime thriller is that when we help one person, someone else will come to our aid at some point or the other.

While the multiple plots are confusing initially, we are soon taken on a rollercoaster of emotions. The movie will definitely not disappoint those who are looking for a novelty in their films, and also get entertained. 

Director Sridhar is promising in his debut, and instead of shuffling between narratives, it is almost like a relay, and that works in favour of the film. With crime as the central theme, the director also brings in elements of romance, family sentiments, and humour, and every episode also has a take away message. 

Music director Ronada Bakkesh’s background score elevates the intensity of each episode. While editor Ujwal Chandra plays a key role in keeping the audience engaged, cinematographer Keertan Poojary wonderfully captures the city through the night. Of course, having many characters in the film makes it a tad too long, but it works. The dialogues are strong too, and if a bit more focus was in place, the scenes would have shaped even better. 

Every character coming into Dharani Mandala… gets an important role to play, but it is Naveen Shankar who gets the top billing, and rightly so. The Gultoo actor has smartly handled his role, and he is particularly impressive as a brooding youngster with strong emotional core. Yash Shetty, who is usually seen as a villain, gets an emotional character, and he definitely scores.  Aishani Shetty and Sidhu Moolimani too surprise the audience with their portrayals. Nitesh and Prakash are excellent with their comic timing. Omkar, Bala Rajwadi, Kaddipudi Kantaraj, Kari Subbu, Mohan Juneja, Jayashree Aradhya, Sundar Veena, and Channa Keshav are some of the actors, who make a mark, even if they are in blink-and-miss roles. 

To sum up, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage is a solid crime thriller that brings to the fore another promising talent from the Kannada industry

Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage
Director: Sridhar Shikaripura
Cast: Naveen Shankar, Aishani Shetty, Yash Shetty, Nitesh, Prakash Thuminad, and Bala Rajawadi
Ratinf: 3.5/5

<br /> With ‘Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage’, debutant director Sridhar Shikaripura has taken creative filmmaking a step further. Using his narrative as a kaleidoscope, Sridhar has taken a look at characters as different pieces of stories, reassembling them to stitch convincing new possibilities.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>A full-fledged hyperlink subject is rarely attempted in Kannada, and Sridhar’s intelligent narrative makes a complex script an interestingly riveting story that takes place in one night. The slow-burn thriller showcases cosmopolitan Bengaluru and the city plays a key role in the stories about people coming from different backgrounds. </p> <p>To begin with, the film takes us through the life of Aadi (Naveen Shankar), a boxer, who has a goal to achieve. There is Shreya (Aishani Shetty), who gets addicted to drugs. Shivu (Yash Shetty) is eager to meet his parents after five years. Slow Motion (Nitesh Mahaan) is heartbroken and wants to end his life, and his friend Marayade Ramana (Prakash Thuminad) counsels him against the decision. Another track is about Antony (Bala Rajawadi) who is part of the underworld, and involves Parachute (Siddu Moolimani) and Disco (Omkar) in the mafia too. There is also an episode about girl trafficking run by Desai (Mohan Juneja).</p> <p>There are many other relevant characters, all living in the same town, who directly or indirectly meet each other in one night. How the lives of these various characters get intertwined is the crux of Dharani Mandala Madhyadholage. Coincidence is the theme of the subject, and it is about how someone’s actions can affect ours. The underlying message of the crime thriller is that when we help one person, someone else will come to our aid at some point or the other.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>While the multiple plots are confusing initially, we are soon taken on a rollercoaster of emotions. The movie will definitely not disappoint those who are looking for a novelty in their films, and also get entertained. </p> <p>Director Sridhar is promising in his debut, and instead of shuffling between narratives, it is almost like a relay, and that works in favour of the film. With crime as the central theme, the director also brings in elements of romance, family sentiments, and humour, and every episode also has a take away message. </p> <p>Music director Ronada Bakkesh’s background score elevates the intensity of each episode. While editor Ujwal Chandra plays a key role in keeping the audience engaged, cinematographer Keertan Poojary wonderfully captures the city through the night. Of course, having many characters in the film makes it a tad too long, but it works. The dialogues are strong too, and if a bit more focus was in place, the scenes would have shaped even better. </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Every character coming into Dharani Mandala… gets an important role to play, but it is Naveen Shankar who gets the top billing, and rightly so. The Gultoo actor has smartly handled his role, and he is particularly impressive as a brooding youngster with strong emotional core. Yash Shetty, who is usually seen as a villain, gets an emotional character, and he definitely scores.  Aishani Shetty and Sidhu Moolimani too surprise the audience with their portrayals. Nitesh and Prakash are excellent with their comic timing. Omkar, Bala Rajwadi, Kaddipudi Kantaraj, Kari Subbu, Mohan Juneja, Jayashree Aradhya, Sundar Veena, and Channa Keshav are some of the actors, who make a mark, even if they are in blink-and-miss roles. </p> <p>To sum up, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage is a solid crime thriller that brings to the fore another promising talent from the Kannada industry</p> <p>Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage<br /> Director: Sridhar Shikaripura<br /> Cast: Naveen Shankar, Aishani Shetty, Yash Shetty, Nitesh, Prakash Thuminad, and Bala Rajawadi<br /> Ratinf: 3.5/5<br />