Rudra Garuda Purana Movie Review: Rishi anchors this whodunit mystery thriller
Rudra Garuda Purana Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,State’s home minister’s son, Manu, goes missing after college. Police officer Rudra (Rishi) is assig
Critic's Rating: 3.0/5
Everybody loves a good whodunit story, especially when combined with inspiration from mythology, with part horror and thriller elements. Rudra Garuda Purana is a partly engaging crime thriller that shows Rishi in all his glory as he carefully anchors and navigates the challenges thrown at him. The film crafts an engaging screenplay with its share of quirky moments that also throws around some horror elements. While the storyline is compelling, a tighter narrative with minimal subplots could have greatly benefited this thriller.
State home minister Devi Shetty (Vinod Alva) is in the middle of a political coup when his only son, Manu, goes missing. A letter containing verses from the Sanskrit text Garuda Purana is bundled along with a stone and is thrown at Shetty’s glass window. A scared Shetty requests the police to secretly investigate the case to help him find the son, which sets things in motion. Police officer Rudra (Rishi) is assigned to the case. During the investigation, Rudra finds a mysterious link between the kidnap and the bus that had gone missing 25 years ago. How can a two-decade-old bus, that was completely mangled during an accident, reappear in the present? Is it a mystery, or is there some supernatural force at play? In the grand scheme of things, is Manu really kidnapped or has he entered a time loop?
Rishi is flawless as a cop who gets to unlock a fresh mystery in every other scene. As he chases the mystery from one city to another, he is suave and intimidating and impresses as a cop who has his nose buried in a mysterious case, and as well as a 30-year-old man looking for love over cups of coffee. He consumes the majority of screen time and has done absolute justice to the role, including excelling in action sequences, a first of this scale for the actor. Even though the actual plot has a slow beginning, the movie plods along for the first two-thirds and picks up pace after a major reveal in the final third. And yes, there is a payoff at the end. The intermission scene feels as though it is navigating towards becoming a horror thriller, only to be addressed later with a believable explanation. Actors Vinod Alva, Avinash, K S Sridhar, Girish Shivanna help Rishi take the film forward with their years of acting experience. Priyanka is promising, although she doesn’t have anything substantial to add to the main plot. The movie is completely rested on Rishi’s shoulders, and he does a fab job carrying it forward.
Rudra Garuda Purana is at its best when it’s in thriller mode. Rishi’s efforts to trace the identity of the kidnapper are backed by mind games, action and chase sequences, which maintain the momentum of the story. Though some scenes are larger-than-life in execution, the sharp edits ensure an adrenaline rush for the viewer, also supplemented by KP’s background score. The pre-interval sequence is engrossing, and leads us to a better second hour.
Director KS Nandeesh delivers what he had promised - riveting action with elements of thriller, mystery, horror and a bit of black magic by sticking to the subject at hand. If you're a hard-core thriller fan, you might be slightly disappointed in some parts because the film doesn’t engage as much as it was supposed to, but it still is a decent watch.
Rudra Garuda Purana had the potential to be a much better outing, especially considering Rishi’s efforts as a performer. Nevertheless, the movie still thrills and ensures chills with its presentation, and calls for a theatre outing this weekend.
State home minister Devi Shetty (Vinod Alva) is in the middle of a political coup when his only son, Manu, goes missing. A letter containing verses from the Sanskrit text Garuda Purana is bundled along with a stone and is thrown at Shetty’s glass window. A scared Shetty requests the police to secretly investigate the case to help him find the son, which sets things in motion. Police officer Rudra (Rishi) is assigned to the case. During the investigation, Rudra finds a mysterious link between the kidnap and the bus that had gone missing 25 years ago. How can a two-decade-old bus, that was completely mangled during an accident, reappear in the present? Is it a mystery, or is there some supernatural force at play? In the grand scheme of things, is Manu really kidnapped or has he entered a time loop?
Rishi is flawless as a cop who gets to unlock a fresh mystery in every other scene. As he chases the mystery from one city to another, he is suave and intimidating and impresses as a cop who has his nose buried in a mysterious case, and as well as a 30-year-old man looking for love over cups of coffee. He consumes the majority of screen time and has done absolute justice to the role, including excelling in action sequences, a first of this scale for the actor. Even though the actual plot has a slow beginning, the movie plods along for the first two-thirds and picks up pace after a major reveal in the final third. And yes, there is a payoff at the end. The intermission scene feels as though it is navigating towards becoming a horror thriller, only to be addressed later with a believable explanation. Actors Vinod Alva, Avinash, K S Sridhar, Girish Shivanna help Rishi take the film forward with their years of acting experience. Priyanka is promising, although she doesn’t have anything substantial to add to the main plot. The movie is completely rested on Rishi’s shoulders, and he does a fab job carrying it forward.
Rudra Garuda Purana is at its best when it’s in thriller mode. Rishi’s efforts to trace the identity of the kidnapper are backed by mind games, action and chase sequences, which maintain the momentum of the story. Though some scenes are larger-than-life in execution, the sharp edits ensure an adrenaline rush for the viewer, also supplemented by KP’s background score. The pre-interval sequence is engrossing, and leads us to a better second hour.
Director KS Nandeesh delivers what he had promised - riveting action with elements of thriller, mystery, horror and a bit of black magic by sticking to the subject at hand. If you're a hard-core thriller fan, you might be slightly disappointed in some parts because the film doesn’t engage as much as it was supposed to, but it still is a decent watch.
Rudra Garuda Purana had the potential to be a much better outing, especially considering Rishi’s efforts as a performer. Nevertheless, the movie still thrills and ensures chills with its presentation, and calls for a theatre outing this weekend.
