Set in the 1980s when owning a television set was a matter of huge prestige, the film revolves around the “idiot box” with some morality attached to it.
A poster of 'Dooradarshana' Kannada movie. (Supplied)
Dooradarshana (Kannada)
For those born in the 1970s, Dooradarshana will take them back to their childhood days when India was witnessing a magical phenomenon called television (TV).
The first few TV sets came to India in 1959 and were run on an experimental basis. However, their popularity skyrocketed in the 1980s and 90s, all thanks to Doordarshan services after it was delinked from All India Radio (AIR).
Sounding like a lesson on Indian broadcast history? Well, let’s find out in this review why the history and the time are essential for the story and why the movie eventually falls flat just like the services of the Doordarshan TV channel.
Like some of the recent Kannada films, Dooradarshana, too, is set in the 1980s. However, it has a solid reason to do so.
The story is simple yet complicated. Simple because it revolves around Ramakrishna Bhat (Sundar Veena), a wealthy and greedy person in a village. It is tucked with some unnecessary drama that is stretched to an extent that it starts disconnecting from the sole purpose of the film.
In a nutshell, Ramakrishna Bhat is hated by most in the village, including his brother, for his greedy nature. He is forced to safeguard a television set belonging to his brother. Instead, Bhat makes use of the TV to gain respect for being the first person to own a TV!
Meanwhile, a love story and rivalry between two childhood friends, Manu and Kitty (played by Pruthvee Ambar and Ugram Manju) run parallelly.
What happens when the TV goes missing from the house is the crux of Dooradarshana.
Director Sukesh Shetty has done everything in his best to make it look like the 1980s but the output falls short to elevate the experience to another level.
It just missed those vital pieces from the jigsaw puzzle to make it a perfect match in the end.
On one side, the morality of a greedy man is being challenged through TV as a metaphor. On the other, aspects like the love story and the rivalry between two friends fail to connect with the well-intentioned main plot.
Dooradarshana #PruthviAmbaar #Sandalwood pic.twitter.com/RXImit9F2l
— Pruthvi Ambaar (@AmbarPruthvi) February 25, 2023
If there is something that is a delight to watch in Dooradarshana, then it is the performances of the lead actors.
A still from ‘Dooradarshana’ movie. (Supplied)
Sundar Veena leads the way with his natural ability to make the audience laugh, hate and even feel sorry for his state of mind.
Pruthvee of Dia fame is back with another decent act as a romantic boy in love.
Ayaana as Mythri looks pretty and Ugramm Manju is as intense as ever. The rest are fillers.
A couple of numbers scored by Vasuki Vaibhav fit well but none leaves an everlasting experience.
Want to experience the days when having a TV at home was a dream come true feeling? Then do watch Dooradarshana at a theatre near you and the rest can wait till it hits the actual TV or the OTT, whichever is earlier.
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