Ulidavaru Kandanthe

Plot

Malpe is a small fishing town on the Arabian Coast, located 6 km to the west of the temple city, Udupi. Malpe's beaches are washed clean everyday by the sea. The waves ensure that nothing gets left behind on the sands. But the waves cannot reach everything....

It is the time of the year when Udupi and its surroundings are decked up to celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami. Men and children walk the streets dressed as characters from mythology. Teams painted as tigers are seen dancing to drum beats all around the town. But violence seems to be brewing in Malpe this Krishna Janmashtami. The movie revolves around five different people narrating their view of a murder incidence that took place during Sri Krishna Janmashtami.

Cast

Production

In an interview during the production of Ulidavaru Kandante, Rakshit Shetty said, "For UK, I want to create an experience that would last for generations to come. I will be more than happy if my movie keeps running in people’s hearts."

Development

The production of Ulidavaru Kandante was started on 1 August 2013.

Marketing

The trailer of the movie was published on YouTube on 6 December 2013. It garnered 44,618 views within 48 hours of its launch, breaking the previous record for a Kannada film trailer set by Simple Agi Ondh Love Story. The trailer was also released in theatres by Kannada actor Puneet Rajkumar, at the Triveni theatre, Bangalore the next day. Loose Maada Yogesh said he is ready to postpone his next movie for Ulidavaru Kandante.

The film maintains a presence on Facebook and Twitter, where they solicit memes and invite users to take turns at guessing the nature of film's MacGuffin. Director Rakshit Shetty, busied himself after the release of the trailer, in the design of customisable T-shirts to promote the movie, and also as a vehicle to bring out more popular dialogues to build public anticipation and the fan-base prior to release. This was motivated by the favourable response to scenes depicted in the trailer, as well as some of the lines delivered by the characters.

The team also plan to release video screensavers, and curate blog posts of the audience's reactions after release. Shetty explains that this social engagement - inviting viewer and fan perspectives on the subject - is a natural extension of the thematic subject of the film itself.

Sify.com reports Ulidavaru Kandante as a "wave of freshness".

Theme

In an interactive session Rakshit shetty said he developed the story of the film with reference to Pancha Bhoota. He also stated that he not only wanted to narrate the story of the characters but also wanted to portray the life also Udupi in 90s. Even though the commercial elements of a successful cinema are there in the film, it was truthful to Karnataka culture. Rakshit shetty also stated that he was inspired by Quentin Tarantino and Scarface (1983 film) for making UK. But he did not westernise the script. Being truthful to Karnataka culture is the speciality of this film.

Release and reception

The film was given the "U/A" (Parental Guidance) certificate by the Regional Censor Board. The scene that was censored was that of a cockfight sequence and the use of abusive words muted. Apart from this, the number of smoking scenes were asked to be cut down. Following this, the film was released on 28 March 2014, in over 100 theatres across Karnataka, simultaneously releasing in theatres in the United States, and New Zealand.

Screenings

The film was screened in June 2014 at the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) where it received positive response from the audience, and it was called one of the best Indian films to have been made at the time. LIFF rated the film calling it a "dazzling epic". The film was screened in Leverkusen, Germany on 18 May 2014. It was announced in August 2014 that the film would be screened at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in September 2014.

Critical reception

Upon release, the film received positive to mixed reviews from critics. Shyam Prasad S. of the Bangalore Mirror reviewed the film and drew comparisons to Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), which has a similar plot. He added, "The film strives hard to become a 'cult' film, but it falls short somewhere during its journey." He, however praised the role of direction and acting departments in the film, and appreciated the director for brilliantly capturing the culture of Mangalore and the surrounding areas. B. S. Srivani of Deccan Herald rated the film 3/5 and praised the cinematography, music and writes about the "fine effort by a debutant [director]."

Box office

Ulidavaru Kandante opened to a good collection of around ₹2 crore (US$310,000) in its first week from release. Collections dropped in the second week and it was declared an average grosser at the box office.