Rudhra Garuda Purana movie review: An investigation into a missing person's case leads to a mysterious connection to a tragic accident from 25 years ago. Can Inspector Rudhra get to the bottom of it?
Last Updated: 01.32 PM, Jan 23, 2025
Rudhra Garuda Purana movie story: When the son of MLA Devi Shetty (Vinod Alva), Manu, goes missing without a trace, Inspector Rudhra (Rishi) is tasked with conducting an unofficial investigation, so as not to spark a media frenzy into the case. Things take a complicated turn when it is revealed that Manu has been kidnapped and was last seen boarding the 17A Kaveri bus, a route that was discontinued 25 years ago, after a terrible tragedy. Rudhra’s line of enquiry, faces a further roadblock, when all leads point to a mysterious figure – Muniraju – whose identity remains unknown. Can he piece it all together and save Manu before it’s too late?
Rudhra Garuda Purana movie review: A decommissioned bus service, that mysteriously reappears after a quarter of a century, at the centre of a missing person’s case certainly seemed like an interesting plot to pursue in a film. The trailer of the film also seemed promising, in parts, so the hope was that the sum total would make for a passable watch. That was not to be, though, putting Rudhra Garuda Purana on the list of films that had potential but missed the plot along the way.
The film being a revenge saga and not a mystery thriller is, perhaps, what’s amiss, or maybe that I went in expecting an intense investigative tale, which it was not. It is fine to mislead the audience with a certain promise and deliver something else, but then, there has to be a cracker of a payoff in the end, which Rudhra Garuda Purana fails to achieve. The motivation of the perpetrator in kidnapping the MLA’s son becomes way too apparent well before director KS Nandeesh’s revelation. And once you make that connection, there’s not much left to look forward to.
As the leading man, Rishi is earnest, and carries the cop look well, but it just doesn’t feel like enough. With cop films, the expectation is of a slightly larger-than-life persona, hard-hitting dialogues delivered to pack a punch and great action blocks. Rishi has a more boy-next-door demeanour, so even when he, as Rudhra, says that criminals who’ve made noise about their background have settled underground, it just doesn’t have the desired effect.
There are a few stunts along the way, but there’s really nothing to talk about them. It’s the usual scenario of multiple assailants taking on the protagonist one by one, each patiently waiting for his turn and getting dispatched just as quickly. Here, yet again, there’s a certain expectation set in terms of physical effort that a hero puts into such sequences. No matter how improbable or gravity-defying a move may seem, that’s what’s thrilling and Rudhra Garuda Purana boasts no such moments.
Priyanka Kumar gets the raw end of the stick; even her peppy song Adeneno doesn’t make it past the chopping board. Such is the brevity of the role eventually that if taken out completely would make no difference to the film. Giri Shivanna is introduced as Rudhra’s subordinate in Mysuru, to provide some of the laughs, and is then drafted into the investigative team later on. But then, he’s forgotten for almost the entire second half.
Also read: Rishi on Rudhra Garuda Purana: The mystery of the bus 17A Kaveri will evoke a lot of questions
What Rudhra Garuda Purana needed was a formidable antagonist. By all accounts, the mystery figure Muniraju was said to be ruthless and evil, which, needed a great reveal and good casting. What we get has neither. The rest of the cast, including KS Sridhar, Shivaraj KR Pete, Avinash, etc., do what’s required of them.
Rudhra Garuda Purana movie verdict: Rishi’s Rudhra Garuda Purana is not a lost cause, but it could, no doubt, have been a lot better. On paper, it seems like a decent premise, but the execution is where it falters. Perhaps if you watch it without expectations, it may appeal after all.