About 30 minutes in, a scene with an 'Arjun Reddy' reference acts as a strong warning. If only one was smart enough to leave the hall immediately!
'KTM' follows the journey of Kartik (Dheekshith Shetty), the protagonist, from his days in school until he becomes an IAS officer and marries the love of his life. Deekshit Shetty's transformation over the course of the film is impressive. Sanjana Doss and Kaajal Kunder are convincing. But performances alone cannot save this shoddy film.
The film starts off as a feel-good coming-of-age romantic drama set in Udupi. But, the focus shifts to the protagonist who develops severe anger issues after the death of his best friend. And that's where it remains. The narrative does not even establish that they share a strong bond. We only see the three friends fooling around on their college campus. The female lead's father's actions are not explained — why would a father threaten to kill his own son to spite his daughter? Makes zero sense. Half-baked characters, stale comedy, "slap" sequences and unwanted action can make you feel overwhelmed. It makes a very fragile attempt at conveying how betting and gambling can ruin people's lives.
It is nauseating to witness Kartik drinking and throwing up for 20 minutes continuously.
Sandeep Vanga's statement in an interview, "it's not love if you cannot slap each other" rings in your head as the protagonists slap each other in the film.
The director, Aruna, seems to be largely influenced by Vanga's 'Arjun Reddy'.
How did the makers think a joke on female foeticide can be funny?
I tried hard to look for one good reason why someone should watch it and failed bitterly.
Published 15 February 2024, 17:31 IST