K.G.F movie- A fantastic cinema experience!

KGF. The abbreviation which we all learnt in school is now a magnum opus in Kannada (and dubbed in a few other languages as well) thanks to the dreams, dedication and hard work of this immensely talented visionary team. This is the first installment of what will be a 2 - part movie. This movie is written and directed by Prashanth Neel, cinematography is by Bhuvan Gowda, art direction is by Shivakumar and music is by Ravi Barsur.

I do not want to bore anyone with numbers ( “Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.” - Bob Marley) or this - versus that, but this is a big budget movie for the Kannada film industry, and justice has been done on each and every Rupee spent.

The movie (fiction, not based on a real story) traces the origins and rise of the protagonist, played by Yash and his destiny, which is intertwined with that of KGF (Kolar gold fields - read the history of this place here). Narrated by veteran actor Anant Nag, the movie follows a non- linear timeline (1951 - 1981 - 2018) and is crafted to perfection, interspersing the present and the past in a segue of emotions building off each other. This is Srinidhi Shetty's first movie, and she has done a good job - her eyes are very emotive. She has made her presence felt in the short duration for which she appears in the movie. No one can imagine a better fashion to begin a movie career! Without revealing anything about the plot, here are a few thoughts on the movie (I have not revealed the plot but have rather written about some aspects of the movie. For a pure movie going experience, please skip reading further):

Yash has encapsulated the rise of the don and the pain of his characters extremely well. Each word of his weighs heavily on the atmosphere of doom. Through his words and devil- may-care actions, he creates thunderous waves of trepidation in the enemy's heart. He fits the character comfortably, calling on a terrifying nonchalance fueled by early life experiences and a unquenchable thirst to fulfill powerful words.

There are many sequences and dialogues which punched me in the gut, sucked the air from my lungs, threw me back, and left me with a mega - surge of adrenaline in my veins. You need a few seconds to get back to reality after such a powerful and potent combination of images and words.

"ಗಾಯಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಸಿಂಹದ ಉಸಿರು ಘರ್ಜನೆಗಿಂತ ಭಯಂಕರವಾಗಿರತ್ತೆ"

"The breath of a wounded lion is more terrifying than it's roar".

"ನಿನ್ನ ಬೆನ್ನ ಹಿಂದೆ  ಸಾವಿರ  ಜನ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದಾರೆ  ಅನ್ನೋ  ಧೈರ್ಯ ನಿನಗೆ ಇದ್ರೆ , ಬರಿ ಒಂದು ಯುದ್ಧ ಗೆಲ್ಬಹುದು...ಅದೇ ನೀನು ಮುಂದೆ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದೀಯಾ ಅಂತ ಹಿಂದೆ ಇರೋ ಸಾವಿರ ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಧೈರ್ಯ ಬಂದ್ರೆ ಪ್ರಪಂಚನೇ ಗೆಲ್ಬಹುದು".

"The support of a thousand people behind you will give you strength to win a war. But if those thousand people are confident that you are their leader, then you can win the world".

The editing is razor - sharp. Blink and you will miss some key elements. The art direction deserves heaps of praise for taking care of the minute details - the prophetic drawings, the storytelling sequence, and for creating the retro look.The "why" is always close to the "how". The layers are unraveled in a tantalizing way, and we are provided with solid reasons for particular character traits.

The casting could not have been better. From the child artists to the most experienced and accomplished, everyone has delivered more than their weight in gold. I have not seen better depth in acting and the sheer range of characters is mind - blowing. The feelings generated by their performances vary from awe - inspiring to striking fear in the heart. I was genuinely terrified by the introductions of some key characters in the movie.

The fight sequences are absolutely astounding. The focus on details, the changes in pace, the marriage with sound have been handled deftly. Shot almost entirely on natural light, including the scenes shot at night, one can soak in the raw and pure depiction of varying emotions - motherhood, promises, fear, liberation, rebellion. The interplay between light and darkness has been utilized artistically to create thrill and suspense. Naturally occurring elements such as sandstorms have been used masterfully in sequences. A menacing feeling is always within reach.

The mood of the movie reflects the story line, and weighs the emotion being depicted. Multiple sequences are underexposed to immerse us into the chaos and deliver a visually - stunning masterpiece. The soundtrack is grand, and captures the prophecy, the savior and the fiendish visions of megalomaniacal grandeur. Fear: this emotion is crafted to perfection. You can see it in their eyes, you can smell it in the sweat of the backbreaking toil, you can hear it in the deathly clang of metal on stone. We are brought face to face with pure evil, and I mean triple - distilled craziness. Monsters who will make your heart rate rise. The mother - son relationship has been captured in the most delicate and beautiful way and will move you - that is the power of true cinema, to immerse all our senses in the moment. It is a wonderful feeling to see multiple elements come together to create such striking and impactful cinema.

Needless to say, the movie has cast a spell on me. I am now awaiting the second viewing of Chapter 1 and of course, Chapter 2 with bated breath.

The pathetic attempt of the paid media to subdue this masterpiece in their sad "reviews" make me want to retch and throw up all over their words - money or influence may work to a point, but truth and beautiful cinema will always prevail. K.G.F is Gold standard.

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