Abhinetri
Kannada (U/A) ***
Director: Satish Pradhan
Cast: Pooja Gandhi, Atul Kulkarni, Achyut Rao, Makarand Deshpande, Ravishankar, Ramya Barna, Srinagar Kitti, Ramesh Bhat, Neetu
Doff your hats and hail Pooja Gandhi. Pat the brave heart producer in her. At a time when dishing out trash as entertainment is the norm, she has chosen to be different and daring. The actress must be appreciated and applauded for giving her fans Abhinetri.
The film, loosely tracking the tragic life of one of Kannada filmdom’s talented actresses anointed as Minugu Thare, is well-intended though not inspirational. Abhinetri is also not superlative cinema. Too theatrical and stretched, Abhinetri would have turned true cinema with crisper editing and more polished performances. Atul Kulkarni is an exception, and he shows his class and command.
What is appreciable about Abhinetri is that it brings to the fore the inner workings of film industry and how exploitative it can be for aspiring talents. That Pooja has no qualms about showing her industry in such poor, harsh but true light, is commendable. That way, it could be read as an introspective journey of the actress herself who may have faced similar trials.
While Pooja Gandhi has made sincere efforts to portray the rise and fall of an actress, it is her rendition of Kannada with a northerner accent that is jarring to ears. Her fellow actors have ably supported her, except a miscast Makarand Deshpande who is unconvincing as the bucktoothed, lascivious film producer. Mano Murthy’s re-rendition of yesteryear song Thamnam Thamnam from Eradu Kanasu and sung evocatively by Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal, takes one back on a nostalgic trip. Kudos Pooja. Cheers to your gumption.