Rangi Taranga

Director Anup Bhandari has given Sandalwood RangiTaranga that's visually breath-taking and packed with a lot of punch, be it in both the acting and the technical departments. This thriller, which is set in stunning locations in Karnataka, showcases a little bit of culture, a little superstition and a gamut of emotions in a cleverly weaved story, which has both romance and thrill in equal measure.

Gautam, who writes under the pseudo name Anashku, and his wife Indu visit Kamarottu and meet some seemingly kindred and some intimidating faces. Some unnatural occurrences in the ancestral home and its surroundings lead them to believe that there could be the presence of the paranormal around them. Meanwhile, a journalist Sandhya too arrives in the hamlet; she wants discover the identity of Anashku. What happens in Kamarottu forms the crux of this thriller, which is best experienced on the big screen.

The film gives Sandalwood a good find in the form of Nirup Bhandari. He shines as Gautam, with his baritone and towering presence, he's a welcome addition to the industry. Radhika Chetan and Avantika Shetty, too, are natural and pleasant to watch. Saikumar steals the show. He could well be bagging many awards for those scenes that he owns.

The other highlights of the film apart from Anup's writing are his music and lyrics. The songs are catchy, though they seem a tad too many in the second half. B Ajaneesh Lokanath's background score is on par with some of the best global thrillers, as is the cinematography by Lance Kaplan and William David. The only snag is that the film is a bit dragging in the second half, though, the narrative keeps one occupied. Watch this film to appreciate an indie filmmaker's commercial effort, where he has nearly merged the two seamlessly.