BOTTOM LINE
Loud Rural Mystery With Kantara Hangover
PLATFORM
ZEE5
RUNTIME
2 hours 27 minutes
What Is the Film About?
Varada and his Bedaravesha friends unearth a Kadamba-era treasure in a village. They race against a mysterious entity, awakening the powers of Goddess Maari. With the help of an archaeologist, Mari Gowda, the greedy crew faces several obstacles. Meanwhile, in the middle of a dance performance, Varada, consumed by guilt, unexpectedly discovers a crucial clue to the stolen treasure.
Performances
Apart from a focused performance by Praveen Tej and the confidence of an experienced hand like Rangayana Raghu, the cast does not make a strong impression. Gopal Krishna Deshpande passes muster in an underdeveloped character.
Nidhi Hegde’s character lacks meat. Ninaad Harithsa, Prashanth Siddhi and AS Suraj are strictly okay in their insignificant roles. Kantara fame Naveen Bondel is saddled in a character that feels like a cheap copy of his segment in Rishabh Shetty’s hit.
Analysis
Maarigallu, the Kannada show on ZEE5 helmed by Devraj Poojary, is a crime caper at heart with a devotional twist. The universal essence of most crime sagas holds true here: that money makes the world go round. The premise is simple: the lives of a group of men descend into chaos, led to a royal treasure through crucial clues from a Kadamba-era inscription.
The storytelling follows an expected trajectory without much deviation. The director takes us through rural traditions related to a local deity, with stories pointing to the destruction of those consumed by greed (who were after the royal treasure). Later, scores of characters from various walks of life, relevant to the story, their necessities are introduced, and they form a team to seek the treasure.
The tale predominantly revolves around two friends, Daya and Varada, a government officer, Mari Gowda, and a village head, Ashok Sharma (in addition to a set of folk artists, who are, however, minor characters). Varada needs to arrange money for his sister Geetha’s wedding. Taking help from a motley of men, Varada succeeds in his quest, only to face a crude twist of fate.
The treasure changes hands out of the blue, the crew has trust issues, there’s a shock death, and the mysteries only multiply with time. Using the treasure as a metaphor, Maarigallu lays bare the rot within the pivotal characters: disloyalty, deception, greed, mistrust. They do not get to live in peace at all. The gold they were after now consumes them, literally and figuratively.
What starts as a simplistic treasure hunt story develops into a juicy rural mystery. Time and again, the deity’s presence serves as a moral anchor to their acts (constantly reminding them of their wrongs). The priest, being possessed by God, triggers fear among the men. The show creators try to set up an eerie atmosphere through visions, storytelling traditions and rituals.
While the shrewd, mysterious ambience of the village, where no one could be trusted, captivates you initially, the show falls into a predictable pattern after a point. Despite the cultural topping and the unexpected blend of dance, devotion, greed and crime, the backdrop feels like a desperate attempt to cash in on Kantara’s popularity.
Moreover, none of the characters are etched out with care; the viewer knows them through a trait or two at best. Though flawed roles are key to a crime tale, the absence of a moral centre hurts its cause; it’s hard to root for any of the main parts. The portrayal of the local traditions is also sketchy, only offering glimpses of the artists’ lives, without digging into their core personalities.
Surprisingly, Maarigallu manages to end well, as if it were a parting gift to the viewer. Yet, apart from occasional sparks (the premise, early episodes, and the brief tension in the storytelling), the resources and the names involved with it (produced under late Puneeth Rajkumar’s home banner), the show only goes down as a lost opportunity.
Performances by Others Actors
LV Muthu Ganesh’s music lacks originality, milking the Kantara fever to the hilt and not doing much to elevate the mystery or tension in the other portions of the show. SK Rao’s cinematography is one of the show’s high points, lending an organic rustic visual flavour to the proceedings. The production values are apt for the setting; there’s not much to complain about the edits, costumes or production design either.
Music and Other Departments?
LV Muthu Ganesh’s music lacks originality, milking the Kantara fever to the hilt and not doing much to elevate the mystery or tension in the other portions of the show. SK Rao’s cinematography is one of the show’s high points, lending an organic rustic visual flavour to the proceedings. The production values are apt for the setting; there’s not much to complain about the edits, costumes or production design either.
Highlights?
Basic idea
Early episodes, neat ending
Good cinematography
Drawbacks?
Mystery lacks bite
The show loses its momentum after a decent start
Heavy Kantara hangover
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you want something similar in the Kantara space (which is more underwhelming)
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Maarigallu Movie Review by M9
