Navarathna Movie Review: The film fails to keep the audiences engaged

A wildlife photographer Moksha is on a trek in the Rathnavana forest to capture a rare species of bird on the brink of extinction on her camera, when she encounters Prathap Raj and Linga who will become her friends.

However, the story has little to do with finding the bird. In reality, Moksha is on a mission – to get rid of a Navarathna necklace that she considered to bring ill omen on anybody who possess it. She also believes that the presence of the necklace is the reason her father is in coma at a hospital back home. Since it is believed that anyone who wears the necklaces is at a risk, Moksha intends to dispose it at an inaccessible area, deep in the forest.

Yet another parallel storyline features a case wherein a group of people, including a foreigner, visiting Rathnavana forest, have gone missing. The police have sent out a search party and investigation is on in full force.

While Navarathna is an attempt to thrill the audiences with its series of twisted storylines, the lack of research before setting out to include these as part of the narration is glaring. The screenplay fails to keep audiences engaged and what you have instead is a confused attempt at master storytelling. Add to that the fact that the film could do with at least a 20-minute edit, and mismatched sequences and you can’t help but feel disappointed.