Twenty One Hours

Plot: Madhuri Menon, a young married woman, goes missing in Bengaluru. A young police officer, Srikanth, is on the case, as he rounds up some usual and unusual suspects. Do they find her?

Review: There has been some curiosity with regards to Twenty One Hours, which is a film that has a collaboration of Kannada and Malayalam actors and technicians. The film is frontlined by Dhananjaya, who has had a couple of good releases in the recent past. This one is different in its content, but ends up slightly short of being a film that could have been something intriguing.

The film begins with the news of a young woman, Madhuri Menon, missing. Her parents, husband, mother-in-law, former boyfriend and an associate of her father are all being interrogated by the quirky cop Srikanth. Each of them has a different take on the night that led to her disappearance. Where is she? Do they find her?

What works for this film is the quirky storytelling, along with the equally different characters. The policeman at helm has a comical and grey side, which makes one wonder what could be there. Similarly, the story that is unraveled through different points of view has grey elements that keep the viewers hooked. What sets the film back is the Malayalali accent in the Kannada being spoken. Most characters speak in this accent, which can get tedious and hard on the ears.

Dhananjaya has good scope to show his acting prowess in a role that grows from edgy to absurd, and he excels. Also commendable are Rahul Madhav and Sudev Nair. The music and cinematography, along with editing, add to the appeal of the film. Twenty One Hours is an interesting tale, although one wonders if the quirky elements in the characterisation has pushed the creativity envelope a little too much.