Ravichandaran's Apoorva: Glamorous Garbage

Apoorva should rank among the worst films that Ravichandran has made. Philosophical banter about love and age that should have happened over a drink with friends - and forgotten once sober - has been made into a film. The English subtitles for English dialogues and the same words being superimposed on the screen like in a PowerPoint presentation makes Apoorva a tiring watch. Mobile technology has killed half the film. The other half is not the better half of Apoorva either, it is a poor, self-indulgent heap of colour paper and paint.

There is after all a small but good story buried under the glamorous garbage. The story is worthy of a 30-minute short film and, if you manage to sit through the almost two-and-a-half hours of Apoorva, it is a cumbersome task to distill the story out.

As for the cinematography, frames that too close for comfort bring out all the wrinkles, warts and flaws of the actors. Perhaps for the first time, Ravichandran has failed when it comes to casting. This was not the film for new actress Apoorva.

Spilling bottles of colour and non-white writing paper is passed off as glamour and emotions. Not all of the film happens inside a lift, but whatever happens outside during that period is "shown" through voices. We did not like Niskarsha for sketches did we? Kalavida was as boring a film but with great music. We still miss Hamsalekha. Among Ravichandran's films, Apoorva can be compared to Ekangi.

To say with a heavy heart, the showman of Sandalwood has failed.