PremiumDavid review: Shreyas Chinga-led murder mystery is an excruciating watch
The film, initially directed by Bhargav, was re-edited and has been presented in a new avatar by leading man Shreyas.
Last Updated: 07.34 PM, Jul 21, 2023
Story: Industrialist Upen Sharma (Avinash) is at loggerheads with his partner’s son, Vikram Shetty (Pankaj Narayan), who wants to take over the business. But just as a hit is put out on Sharma, his daughter becomes the target of a kidnap scheme.
Review: David is a film that was made way back in 2017 and was to be released well before the pandemic. It didn’t and then its lead actor Shreyas Chinga decided to change things around in the hope of making it a better product. Well, considering how excruciating an experience it was watching this version of the film, I wonder how it was back in the day.
The film’s first half establishes the four story arcs it follows. There’s one about a big-time businessman whose shaky relationship with his partner’s son does not bode well for him. A second about a bunch of rich kids with no pocket money looking for a way to make a quick buck; a third about protagonist Gautam (Shreyas) and his aversion to females and finally, the mystery around the title character, David.
This section of the film is a hotch-potch of sequences that serve no purpose other than introducing the main characters. These scenes are unnecessarily stretched out and have no meaningful follow up. What connects these arcs is Gautam’s sudden change of heart, from being against romantic relationships for years to falling head-over-heels in love after just one fleeting glance of Shreya Sharma (Sarah Harish). When she goes missing on the same night that her father is shot dead, Gautam has to race against time to piece the puzzle together and save her.
The second half then shifts gear as Gautam and his friends investigate the case of Shreya’s kidnapping. Mind you, this is a case that the CBI is apparently handling, or so Gautam says, but we never see an official investigation into the murder or kidnapping. Instead, it is Gautam who finds the resources to get to the bottom of this mystery.
David is Shreyas’ launchpad, a film to showcase his skillsets as an actor. The youngster has a decent screen presence, no doubt, but the film is an unbearably tedious watch, all put together. All the actors in the film just go through the motions and don’t make any impression and what makes it worse is the background score that’s been designed to give you a pounding headache. The only time I let out a chuckle was when the film’s hitman is introduced; not because it was funny, but at the choice of actor.
Verdict: The less said the better about David. This is a week with far better options to choose from at the movie halls. No prizes for guessing which one I will recommend.