Yadha Yadha Hi review: Diganth Manchale & Hariprriya make this 'adequate' remake work

3/5

Story:

Priyanka Shetty, a highly successful entrepreneur, shoots and kills high-ranked cop Adithya Varma, alleging that she was raped by him. But proving that it was all done in self-defence turns out to be an extremely stiff challenge for Priyanka when the prosecution appoints a reputed and skilful lawyer against her. Enter Ashok Teja, a crooked but equally efficient cop, who is trusted with discovering the truth and helping Priyanka get acquitted in the court trial but his investigation only unearths a maze of lies, deceit and corruption. 

Review:

The novelty and finesse of Oriol Paulo's 2016 Spanish film The Invisible Guest have promoted a number of remakes around the world, three from India alone. Sujoy Ghosh's 2019 Badla, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu, was a faithful remake that retained Paulo's story but was crafty and efficient in its telling. Around the same time came the Telugu version which was billed as a loose adaptation boasting a few striking changes compared to the original. Evaru starred Adivi Sesh, Regina Cassandra and Naveen Chandra and writer-director Venkat Ramji makes suitable modifications in the plot and the structure to ensure his film is not glaringly similar to the Spanish film, though he borrows its essence and energy. 

And now, potentially the fifth spin on the story arrives in the form of Yadha Yadha Hi, which can be best described as a meticulous remake of Evaru; in short, this latest Kannada film is the remake of another loose remake. So, if you were to catch Yadha Yadha Hi having already watched Evaru (and the other iterations), then you might find the film to be the least impressive of the lot. But if you are unaware of the Telugu "original", then there's a good chance you will enjoy it.

The positives, and also the negatives, in Yadha Yadha Hi, stem from director Ashok Teja being uncomplicated about his approach to the film. Everything is pretty much like-to-like in the way he goes about things, right from the plot, the pacing and the overall vibrancy. Diganth Manchale is cast well as Adivi Sesh's counterpart and the former does perfect justice to the role of a cop who has a clean heart but a rogue mind. Hariprriya, as both businesswoman and prime suspect #1 Priyanka Shetty, carries the right amount of gravitas and looks in her element throughout. And much of the film, as in the original, is about the unique chemistry that these two characters share as they elevate an intriguing one-room drama into a much larger & convoluted murder case. Both Diganth and Hariprriya step up to the occasion and deliver fine performances, thus doing all the heavy lifting.

Vasishta Simha, who recently got married to Hariprriya, is good in the role of ACP Adithya Varma but the pitch of his performance sometimes is a tad too high. Still, the actor adapts well to the haphazard, wavering narrative and is a valid addition to the cast. 

In a film such as this, the underlying story, the plot and its effective narration are of primary significance and Ashok Teja, again, is smart enough to not tamper with the original. Even the visual element of his storytelling is lacklustre and quite dull in comparison, he seems well aware of the fact that the twist-a-minute structure designed by the previous team is all he needs to sail through. Evaru was slicker and visually a lot more appealing through its choice of locations, cinematography and general aesthetics. Yadha Yadha Hi is less bothered about these factors but more about repackaging the same story in the correct manner. 

But riding on these conveniences, the writer of the Kannada version ends up also carrying the inadequacies of the original. Evaru can be pulled up for being heavily reliant on a oneupmanship kind of narrative where everything you see or are told, is potentially a lie. The two protagonists are highly unreliable but one of them is well-meaning while the other, though justified in a way, is entitled and immoral. It's an exciting game of deceit until things go overboard and the twists and thrills, particularly in the third act, come at us bluntly without much nuance. The finale twist salvages things but the energy is definitely felt dropping at one point, unlike in Oriol Paulo's script.

Verdict:

It isn't a bad first Friday of June for Kannada movie lovers with two engaging 'thrillers' in theatres in the form of Yadha Yadha Hi and Pinki Elli?. The former, as pointed out, is a fun watch if you haven't seen the previous versions but it would be the latter that should warrant more of your attention if you are at the box office. Though Pinki Elli? is fundamentally different compared to Yadha Yadhi Hi as a genre film, it's a film that is capable of making a case for itself based on its originality alone. But should find time for more than one film, why not try out both and decide for yourself?