Duration – 131 minutes, Title – Sooji Daara, Producers – Sachidranath Naik (Belthangady) and Abhijit Kotegar (Udupi), Direction – Mounesh Badiger, Music – Bhinna Shadja, Cinematography – Ashok V Raman, Cast – Haripriya, Yashwath Shetty, Chaitra Kottur, Achyuth Kumar, Suchindra Prasad, Shreya, Vyjyanath Biradar and others.

In the debut film Mounesh Badiger has chosen the right ingredients in this quasi art and quasi commercial cinema. In fact this is not tailor made film – stands out from different films. Mounesh knowledge about the cinema is very circumspect. From the laborious beginning he takes the audience to the high voltage of developments in his three track film ‘Sooji Daara’ – the right thread for the right man!

The pretty good handling in the second half is what compels you to watch this film. The track of Haripriya, Yashwanth Shetty and Raaji niche for acting all moves and all the three connect to police department when the climax approach fast.

Padma (Haripriya) is kept in house arrest by her crook husband a theatre actor Suchindra Prasad. She often gets beating and she has lost her past memory. She is often watching news in her small home so that her memory comes back. In this cluster of homes comes Shanker to live. Shanker has a very bad past and he is running around slipping the eyes of police for mistake he has not done in Mangaluru in his Xerox shop. It is his co worker Munna who created a danger and that is very costly one in the life of strict principal of the college (played by Achyuth Kumar).

In the same building where Padma and Shanker are living, there is one more Raaji an aspirant for acting and friend of Padma. Raji boyfriend is a thief. In one of his burgles he has stolen the Padmasri medal given to a literary personality in Chitradurga.

How Mounesh breaks his mouna in the second half and brings all together with police connecting to it is interesting.

Haripriya looks very beautiful in that middle class role. The beauty on duty earns good score for her performance. Yashwanth Shetty as Shabir and Shanker has done a good work. He has two shades in ‘Sooji Daara’, he has stitched the roles aptly at given occasions.

A Suchindra Prasad dialogue is what we cannot get to understand, Achyuth Kumar in a short role is impressive. Chaitra Kottur as Raaji is simply superb.

Bhinna Shadja has given ‘Vibhinna’ songs for this out of the box film. Ashok V Raman wielding the camera has no flaws. The dialogues, locations, background score are above average for this film.

Soothing in the first half hustle bustle in the second half is a good watch for Mounesh Badiger brilliance.

Rating – 3.5/5