Lineman

Plot: Village lineman Natesh aka Nata (Triguna) decides to turn off the electricity for the entire village on a very special day. Can his reason pacify angry villagers?

Review: Natesh aka Nata (Triguna) is a lineman in Chandakavadi, a small village. He gets the job on compassionate grounds following the untimely death of his father. He is in charge of supplying electricity to the entire village. He often sees the villagers, who have their own quirks and dysfunctions, as his extended family members. The entire village unanimously respects Sharadamma (B Jayashree), a midwife, who has helped villagers safely deliver hundreds of babies. When the entire village comes together to celebrate her 100th birthday, Nata refuses to supply electricity to the village - the reason? A sparrow nest under the transformer box, which has four eggs and the fact that they may all die if he turns on the power supply. Can he convince an entire village to live without electricity for a few days just for the sake of a few birds?

The movie has its heart in the right place. Bengaluru was once home for millions of sparrows and now, we hardly get to see them. Keeping this as the baseline of the story, director V Raghu Shastry has woven a beautiful story. It also delves into how addicted humans are to their gadgets and how we are missing out on real-life connections.

Debutant Triguna fits the role perfectly, and shows promise. B Jayashree adds gravitas to the role and the movie. The entire village setup feels natural with Sujay Shastri, Harini doing a pretty good job.

The film is a bit weak in terms of cinematography and editing, and with several themes, the movie may sound too preachy for the commercial audience. The movie can be enjoyed in theatres just to get a glimpse of village life, sans gadgets and electricity.