Munduvareda Adhyaya review: Aditya’s thriller shows promise, but falters in execution

2.5/5

Story: A doctor goes missing enroute to a medical camp sponsored by a hospital run by the local MLA. Then, the contractor who was believed to have a hand in her disappearance, is found dead. The whodunnit falls into the able hands of ACP Bala (Aditya).

Review: Munduvareda Adhyaya is a whodunnit thriller that is far from straightforward. Just when you begin to think that you’ve figured it all out, there’s a twist, forcing you to re-examine all that’s transpired. The premise is interesting; a young doctor reporting for duty at a medical camp goes missing, shortly after uncovering some shady deals in connection with it. A contractor with ties to the MLA whose hospital was running the camp, is the prime suspect, but turns up dead.

When the finger of suspicion then points to the MLA, he gets ACP Bala (Aditya) to investigate the case. As it turns out, the new case has a link to one of Bala’s earlier ones in Mangaluru, where a consignment of seized narcotics goes missing. It’s a matter of prestige for Bala to find the drugs, while also solving the murder case at hand.

So far so good. Trouble starts in the second half, when Bala begins piecing the mystery together. There are too many shots of him pensive, making mental notes, or scribbling occasionally on a blackboard. Aditya looks and plays his part convincingly, and even plays to the gallery with shots of him running in slow-motion during a chase and fight sequence. There’s not much that can be said about the rest of the ensemble cast, which includes Chandana Gowda, Ashika Somashekar, Ajay Raj, Bhaskar Shetty, Jai Jagdish, etc.

Verdict: Aditya is earnest, as he attempts to break free from his typical underworld roles. But he is let down by the execution of the narrative. The attempt to not follow standard tropes of thrillers deserves a mention. Hopefully, director Balu Chandrashekhar learns from his mistakes and does not repeat them next time around.