LUCIA dreams: My Movie Review

I had well spent Ganesh Chaturthi with artistic idols in display all over the temple town of Udupi and my favourite arshina kadubu’s, modaka’s, pathrode’s, unde’s and chakkuli’s in my plate. The food took the toll and I slept like a log. To wake up from this dream, I choose to watch a Kannada movie that night in Alankaar theatre Udupi, 7.30pm, hardly 15 people were in audience!

Best thing that can happen in this world is- knowing what you are doing and realizing where you are going! Director Pawan Kumar clearly seems to know both of them and has come up with the best-Lucia. Otherwise, who can motivate me to write my first movie review, seriously!

Disclaimer

• I am no Masand or any ac“claimed” critic. I watch movie for entertainment and if it goes beyond it, I love them. For instance- Ship of Theseus.
• Neither I have invested a single penny on this first ever Indian crowd funded movie, nor I am an online distributor for this movie.
• I have followed the making of this movie in social media and really felt it was all over-hyped till I watched it for myself. Today I agree, it is indeed a trendsetter.
• Let’s appreciate “Team Lucia” brave effort, their courage to rely on social media/blogging and congratulate for winning in London International Film Festival.

Lucia, starring Satish Neenasam and Shruthi Hariharan in lead, no doubt rides high on a strong script, catchy cinematography, ruthless editing and Director’s blessed story telling skills. Based on unique concept of “lucid dreaming”, movie starts off the following philosophical lines of Poet Kanakadasa, written way back in 16th century and still relevant, much more sensible with each passing day-->

Are you a creature of illusion? or illusion is your creation?
Are you a part of the body? Or is the body a part of you?
Is space within the house? Or the house within space? Or are both space and the house within the seeing eye? Is the eye within the mind? Or the mind within the eye? Or are both the eye and the mind within you?
Does sweetness lie in sugar, or sugar in sweetness? Or do both sweetness and sugar lie in the tongue?
Is the tongue within the mind? Or the mind within the tongue? Or are both the tongue and the mind within you?
Does fragrance lie in the flower? Or the flower in fragrance? Or do both the flower and fragrance lie in the nostrils? I cannot say, O Lord Adikeshava of Kaginele,
O! peerless one, are all things within you alone?

I would have gone with 5 out of 5, had there been better casting (For example- Director Pawan and Virendra in director role- both fail to do justice in their small cameos) and if the hero introduction song was cut (5 min of nonsense!). I would have gone with 3 out of 5, had there been no Sathish-Acchut chemistry. These two mind-blowing actors share brilliant moments and hold the movie together. Hence, I go with 4 out of 5, for the movie- LUCIA.

Climax is picture perfect with a strong message; clearly, movie can’t have a better ending than this. All Rajni and non- Rajni fans, go for it, there are English subtitles along and it is worth a watch!