Alternate Titles – Ulidavaru Kandanthe (Kannada Anglicized), As Seen By The Rest (Translation)

Plot Summary – Malpe, a small fishing town on the Arabian Coast. Located 6 kms to the west of the temple town, Udupi. Malpe’s beaches are washed clean everyday by the sea. The waves ensure that nothing gets left behind on the sands. But then, the waves cannot reach everything.

★★★★★ 

Watched 15 Mar, 2021

Putting into words what I felt while watching Ulidavaru Kandanthe will be hard but one thing I knew almost one hour in. This is my new favourite movie. Favourite movie of all time. Rakshit Shetty is the future of Indian cinema and in his directorial and writing debut he achieves what most directors would strive to achieve throughout their entire careers. This is Pulp Fiction meets Rashomon in a hyper-stylistic narrative that has all the hallmarks of the best action thrillers while also staying true to it’s roots. The film is set in the beach town of Malpe near Udupi in Southern Karnataka. This happens to be my native place and the way it depicts the setting is unlike anything I’ve seen in film. The town is a character of its own and each and every nuance of South Karnataka culture is captured. From the accents to the interspersing of my mother tongue, Tulu, to the Pulivesha dance to the food, every single aspect of the setting is so meticulously crafted that you feel in-awe throughout the runtime. Another stunning aspect of the film is its use of music throughout the film. The score and music makes every scene’s tone and emotion heightened. The writing is so unique and the script is a structural masterpiece. The use of a combination of the Managlore-dialect of Kannada and Tulu is genius and almost each line is iconic. Rakshit Shetty is amongst the top-tier as one of the best actors in the country today and this film is a perfect display of his performance. Instead of making a Westernized and by-the-numbers action flick, Shetty takes the time and effort to meticulously craft one of the best films of the decade. Just the original Kannada title, “Ulidavaru Kandanthe” is so poetic and beautiful. This film meant so much to me on a personal level. The setting, the use of music, the script, the direction. Everything is perfect. The Pulivesha scene is probably my favourite in cinema. I have a new favourite movie and I’m glad I got to see this. Shoutout to my friend and elder bro, Sharath for making me watch this cause it made me fall in love with my culture all over again. Please watch Ulidavaru Kandanthe, it’s on YouTube.