‘Pinki Elli’ Kannada movie review: A social thriller that hits strikingly close to reality

Akshatha Pandavapura and Anoop Shoonya in ‘Pinki Elli’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

We have often read reports of police busting begging rackets and stories of newborns or toddlers abandoned in garbage bins in the crime columns of newspapers. Prithvi Konanur’s Pinki Elli (Where is Pinki?) is based on one such report. The Kannada film, winner of twin awards at the New York Indian Film Festival, is a social thriller that reflects the dubious activities in the underbelly of Bengaluru. It also presents a striking picture of social inequality, with the growing rich-poor gap fuelling illegal activities.

The film opens with Bindushree (Akshatha Pandavapura) getting ready for work even as she tries to soothe her crying eight-month-old daughter Pankaja a.k.a Pinky. She is separated from her husband, Manjunath (Deepak Subramanya), and lives with her partner Girish (Anoop Shoonya). Sanamma (Gunjalamma) is the maid hired to look after Pinky. One day, when Bindushree returns home from work, she is shocked to see Pinky missing.

In the fast-paced plot, director Prithvi doesn’t allow you to judge any character. People in the film belong to different sections of society, and there are reasons for all their actions. When the couple isn’t at home during the day, Sanamma loans the baby to her friend Anasuya, who uses Pinki to go on the streets and beg for money. It’s a cold-blooded crime, but Prithvi makes us think from their perspective to convince us that circumstances push them to commit such misdeeds.

For instance, Sanamma is trying to make ends meet to support her paralysed son. There is also an important character of a corporation sweeper, who capitalises on the absent-mindedness of the drunkard Anasuya and takes away Pinki. She is childless and sees Pinki as God’s gift. In fact, in a conversation with her husband, she expresses her disgust about the changing nature of the city that’s given underprivileged people like her nothing. “It took away three of our children, and gave us diseases,” she says. 

Meanwhile, the investigation to find Pinki reveals the system’s attitude to the marginalised community. The police treat transgender persons and people from slums as criminals. They are the scapegoats in any tough case to crack.

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When Bindushree’s estranged husband comes into the picture, Pinki Eli focuses on the messy world of the affluent class. In that world, relationships are marred by distrust and selfishness. The film’s last act involves the Child Welfare Committee, whose functioning warns us about the complications of losing a child.

Thankfully, neither the legalities nor the message is hammered home. Prithvi’s writing is meticulous, and his naturalistic filmmaking (scenes shot in ordinary or often-neglected locations) is enhanced by P Arjun Raja’s crafty hand-held camerawork. The minimalistic performances compliment the realistic nature of the film. Pinki Elli shows people struggling to match the pace of the bustling city. They are all flawed. Yet, at some level, we sympathise with them. Perhaps, that’s how the world works.

Pinki Elli is currently running in theatres