Circuitt

Review: Everybody loves a good old hero-villain story where one plans and executes things to topple the other, either as a show of power, or as a means to escape a horrible end. But the hero-villain story has been explored from multiple angles in Indian cinema. What can add novelty to it are sharp writing and unexpected twists and turns. Circuitt starts with that promise.

A remake of the Malayalam film Kali, which featured Dulquer Salmaan and Sai Pallavi, Circuitt is the story of Siddharth (Viabhav Tatwawadi), Aarohi (Hruta Durgule) and their clash with the villains Sarkar (Ramesh Pardeshi) and Ranga (Milind Shinde). The first half of the film follows the story of Siddharth’s college days, his dashing personality leading to college elections and subsequent clashes etc. A short-tempered guy, Siddharth falls for the beautiful Aarohi, whose melodious voice is the only thing that can calm him when he’s angry. They get married but his temper creates a divide between them and Aarohi decides to go to her parents’ house. On their way there, Siddharth and Aarohi encounter Sarkar and Ranga who try to harass Aarohi, setting up the stage for a clash with Siddharth. The second half of the film is where that clash unfolds in an interesting way.

While Kali had the right pauses in its screenplay, Circuitt’s adapted screenplay (by Sanjay Jamkhandi) lacks those as well as the director’s (Aakash Pendharkar) vision leading to a not-so-engaging experience. While the first half is stretched, the second half manages to right some wrongs. The background score, along with Abhijeet Kawthalkar’s music stand out in the film.

As for acting, Vaibhav’s portrayal, though sincere, seems forced and lacks the ease with which he usually performs. Hruta hits the right notes in her role, especially in the second half, while Ramesh stands out as Sarkar. But it’s Milind Shinde who holds your attention the most. Without a single dialogue in the film, the actor manages to evoke strong disgust with his body language, as is required for the part, and that is the mark of a strong actor.

While Circuitt isn’t as impactful as it’s Malayalam counterpart, it does have some decent scenes and can make for an entertaining watch if this genre is your cup of tea.