Case of Kondana movie review - A gripping thriller led brilliantly by Vijay Raghavendra and Bhavana Menon

Director Devi Prasad Shetty's second film, Case of Kondana follows multiple arcs that he strings together into one cohesive narrative

Vijay Raghavendra in a still from the film

Case of Kondana

Case of Kondana story: ASI Wilson (Vijay Raghavendra) has just joined the Chamarajpet PS, a posting he got after greasing the palms of senior officers. His appointment comes at a time when ACP Lakshmi (Bhavana Menon) and team are in the midst of an investigation into home invasion murders. Wilson is not assigned to the case, but ends up picking up beef with a rowdy gang, who also have an axe to grind with Lakshmi.

Case of Kondana review: If, for some reason, you are under the impression that Case of Kondana is the next chapter in the Seetharam Benoy franchise, let’s set that record straight – it’s not. The team behind that film has come together for a thriller, with leading man Vijay Raghavendra donning khaki yet again. But that’s about all the similarity these two projects have. Case of Kondana is a much better and far more refined film from the team of Seetharam Benoy.

Case of Kondana is an investigative thriller, which begins with the hunt for the perpetrator in a series of home invasion murders that have perplexed cops. After watching the trailer, the impression I had was that the cops were on the hunt of an elusive killer, who remains one step ahead of them. I was not wrong on that count, but in who I thought that would be. That was a surprising twist – one that, honestly, I did not expect, but once it played out, the hope was that director Devi Prasad Shetty would go all out with the ‘shade’ given to the character. That was not to be, alas.

The film has multiple arcs – the home invasion murders, the death of a poor road-side pani puri vendor, which becomes the catalyst for the actual case of Kondana, among others. There is a lot of police procedural stuff thrown in, some of which seems common place and others that don’t, like, for instance, elements of operations that are kept off the books. But then, let’s chalk that down to cinematic liberty.

Director Devi Prasad Shetty is an unabashed Bhavana fan and that’s apparent in his choice of frames for the actress. She’s also more than just a known name on the cast, getting a meaty role and some action to boot. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that Case of Kondana is as much as Vijay Raghavendra film as it is Bhavana’s. As for Vijay Raghavendra, the actor deserves applause for picking a character like Wilson, who is not a knight in shining armour.

Case of Kondana trailer: Vijay Raghavendra’s on the trail of an elusive criminal 

Devi Prasad also seems to have taken a leaf out of the Hemanth M Rao school of love stories in portraying the relationship between Wilson and Sahana (Kushee Ravi). It’s nice and cutesy and had he afforded the same amount of care to the hospital sequence, it would have been helluva lot better.

Devi Prasad’s writing is, no doubt, the star of this film, elevated by the cast and Gagan Baderiya’s rousing score. Could the film have been better? Of course! But I am not nit-picking, because what’s been served is a satisfying meal. This is only his second film and it is evident that he’s made an effort not to repeat the mistakes from his debut and make a far superior movie.

Case of Kondana verdict: If you were intrigued by the trailer of Case of Kondana, rest assured that you will not be disappointed. A good watch for those who enjoy crime thrillers.

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