Agnyathavasi movie review: Janardhan Chikkanna’s murder mystery has a lot of positives, but isn't entirely satisfying

3/5

Agnyathavasi movie story: When well-to-do landlord Srinivasaiah (Sharath Lohithashwa) passes away, the officer-in-charge at the local police station (Rangayana Raghu, who remains nameless throughout the movie) smells foul play. As he goes about proving his theory, efforts also begin to track Srinivasaiah’s estranged son Arun, who’d moved abroad to make a life for himself, much to his father’s displeasure.

The only person in touch with Arun is Rohit (Siddu Moolimani), who has a computer and access to the internet and has been filling in as a new-age postman, sending and receiving emails on behalf of fellow villagers from their kith and kin in other areas. But when Rohit also ends up dead, the mystery deepens.

Agnyathavasi movie review: In all his interviews during the promotions of Agnyathavasi, filmmaker Hemanth M Rao, who has produced the Janardhan Chikkanna (of Gultoo fame) directorial, had said that he was fascinated by its screenplay. A non-linear narrative that takes audiences back and forth, presenting multiple perspectives of various scenarios from the point of view of different characters. It’s a narrative pattern that takes a while to get used to and, hopefully, not get bored with, what with the repetition of scenes.

The plot was decent, the non-linear storytelling did not bother me much and neither did the setting – the late 90s, which had a familiar ring to it. The visuals were great, the background score better, with great performances from the cast too. By the end of the first half, I was bowled over and excited about what’s to come. And yet, Agnyathavasi left me with a feeling of mild discontentment as I walked out of the screening.

A murder mystery, the crux of Agnyathavasi revolves around the death of a rich man in a sleepy Malnad village. The villagers weren’t too happy with him, but none held a grudge big enough to want him dead, or so thought the police, until they uncover what drove someone to take the step and the fallout thereof. It was all fine for me till this point, with the film then slipping away in the flashback that follows, explaining how the cop was able to piece the mystery together, without the aid of any technology.

Agnyathavasi was promoted as a Rangayana Raghu vehicle, much like Shakhahaari, but that would be a disservice to the rest of the cast, especially Siddu Moolimani, Ravishankar Gowda and Paavana Gowda, all of whom were great in their roles. There were a few extra characters with no value add, which, put together, gave the impression of a lot happening, when there actually wasn’t. For instance, Yamuna Srinidhi, as the local mason, is worried about the roof repair of the police station, a work she’s been doing for years, and remains undone in the end.

Check out: Agnyathavasi will be available to stream on OTTplay Premium after its theatrical run. Watch chilling murder myseries like Rekhachithram, Forensic and more on the platform.

Agnyathavasi movie verdict: Agnyathavasi is not the most nail-bitingly gripping murder mystery thriller; fans of the genre will likely piece it together much before the reveal. Does that make it a bad film? Hell no! It’s a film that has its moments, but just not enough for a wholly satisfactory viewing.