Earlier this year, Hemanth Rao’s ‘Kavaludaari’ told the story of a hard-working policeman trying to crack his first big case. Gautham Iyer’s ‘Vrithra’ (meaning ‘demon’) is a similar tale, albeit with a female lead.
Indra (Nithya Shri), a young and confident officer from the crime branch, is thrilled to get her first case. A man is found hanging in a brand new apartment. As she gets deeper into the case, she unearths the kidnapping of a daughter of a real estate kingpin.
As a thriller, ‘Vrithra’ is decent if not great. You see the big reveal coming from a distance. The solutions too appear handed over in a platter to Indra. The character breaks no sweat in making progress in the case and that’s a letdown. The director forgets the simple rule of 'to show and not tell’.
‘Vrithra’ works better when it shows the life of a police officer. The emotional turmoil and stress undergone by a young officer is convincingly portrayed. The film is a sharp reflection of today’s Bengaluru, a real estate hub. It shows the ‘survival of the fittest’ nature of the city. Nithya Shri, who replaced the original choice of Rashmika Mandanna, anchors the film with a fine performance that’s surely going to earn her more meaty roles.
It’s a small film that deserves a chance. But with blockbusters in other languages taking up most screens, even word of mouth publicity might not help the film stay long. Perhaps it might receive its due on OTT platforms. But it’s a good Kannada film worth watching on
the big screen this week.