Idhee Sangati - Movie Review

Film: Idee SangatiCast: Tabu, Abbas, Raja (in a guest role), Kota, Melkote, Hema, Sunil, Surya, M S Narayana, Brahmaji, Apoorva, Chalapathi RaoStory: K N Y PatanjaliMusic: John P VarkyCinematography: JK GummadiBanner: FilmotsavScreenplay, produced and directed by: Chandra SiddardhRelease Date: Feb 22nd, 20008CBFC Rating: A
Director Chandra Siddardh has acquired good name with niche films like Aa Naluguru, and Appudappudu. And this time, for Idhee Sangati, he adopts a novel (Mera Bharat Mahan) written by K N Y Patanjali on to the screen. The film looks at the political, media, judiciary and police system in satirical way and exposes the greedy nature of people. But adapting literary novels on to the screen is a tough task and requires great skills to hold the audience's interest.
Chandra Siddardh scores in presenting the film in style with able help from cameraman and music director but his screenplay in the second half peters into predictable. Post-interval there is no drive in the plot. Such films should be told in more comic way (like Priyadarshan's slapstick comedies) and here Chandra Siddardh fails in big way
The story is about Murthy (Abbas) and his wife Swarajyam (Tabu) and their greediness. Murthy is a corrupted reporter who handles the beat of ‘crime’. One day, a train accident happens in the city and Murthy and his photographer (Sunil) reach to the cover the story. Instead of doing their job, they loot the gold ornaments and the other belongings of the dead passengers in the accident. They reach home with a bag of ornaments and a suitcase.
Later it comes to the light that a suitcase consisting of precious diamonds worth Rs 500 Crores is missing from one passenger. And the diamonds belong to Prime Minister of India who hails from Andhra Pradesh. The police are now on the hunt for the diamonds. Meanwhile, Swarajyam sees the diamonds in the suitcase and keeps secretly in bathroom without informing her hubby. The rest of the film is how police, thieves, lawyers, and politicians indulge in heinous acts to grab the diamonds to their own.
Multiple award-winning actress Tabu as middleclass woman who yearns for a better living does give performance. Yet, there is certain unease and artificiality in her portrayal. Her character doesn’t evoke sympathy and excessive glamour show brings 'negative' quality to the role. Although Abbas gives convincing performance, it is hard to understand that reporter looting ornaments on a dead body. Kota Srinivas Rao as Prime Minister, Sunil as photographer, Surya as greedy police officer and Brahmaji in the role of a lawyer have done justice to their characters. Raja makes guest appearance and his character is underdeveloped. Former Prime Minister PV Narasinha Rao and Chandra Swamy episode is also dealt in this film.
Lilting music by newcomer George P Varki and Gummadi Jayakrishna's camerawork are praiseworthy. The pictursiation of two songs - one shot on Raja and the other on Tabu and Abbas - are eye-catching and imaginatively shot. The plot line has potential to become an interesting expose but it is not handled well in the second half. The problem lies with its artificiality in the behavior of characters. No one can empathies or sympathies with them! And the pace of the film is too slow.