Kannada Thriller Kavaludaari Hits Digital Platforms

Kavaludaari, one of the most anticipated Kannada films to have hit the theatres in April 2019, directed by Hemanth Rao, ended up being a damp squib at the ticket window. Expectations ran naturally high for Kavaludaari, given it was produced by the star Puneeth Rajkumar and its director also co-wrote the Hindi blockbuster Andha Dhun, while making a sensible debut with Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu. Every film has its own fortunes and Kavaludaari’s commercial failure further proved how unpredictable the film business is. Within a month of its release, the film has now arrived on Amazon Prime.

Dealing with an investigation of a family murder that dates back to 40 years and revolving around a traffic cop and a retired officer, the slow-burn crime drama takes its own sweet time to establish its characters but catches your attention with its meticulous detailing and classy execution over time.

The film, despite being promising, is still devoid of commercial elements and gets too much into the experimental zone in places. One does wonder why the director and the producer had opted to release the film in theatres instead of the digital medium? A straight release on a streaming platform could have generated all the curiousity with an actor like Shankar Nag in the lead role. Nevertheless, better late than never, we feel the film will find its target audience on Prime Video.