Exploring the underworld of Mangalore

By Y. Maheshwara Reddy | NT

The good news is Raj B Shetty, who made debut as a full-fledged director with Ondu Motteya Kathe in 2017, has once again proved his mettle not only as a director but also as an actor. He proves to us that a performer does not need to be dashingly good-looking or possess a six-pack physique to play the lead.

Both Raj B Shetty and Rishab Shetty, who play lead roles, have succeeded in convincingly showcasing the underworld activities in Mangalore.

The movie begins with a home-maker cleaning fish. She and her son infor m their neighbours about the bad odour emanating from a near by open well. They find a seriously wounded boy in the open well in a gunny bag and admit him to a government hospital. No one knows about his background . After being discharged from the hospital, the home-maker who rescued him gives him shelter. She asks her son Hari to take care of the boy Shiva.

Later Hari (Rishab Shetty), along with Shiva (Raj B Shetty), starts supplying potato chips to bars and liquor shops. In unavoid - able circumstances, Hari is compelled to demand money for the supplied chips from a rowdy-sheeter who owns a bar. The rowdysheeter threatens Hari with a pistol but gets killed by Shiva.

This infamous incident makes them famous overnight in Mangalore. They go to prison and come back on bail.

Once out, they expand their business from chips to managing tiger dance troupes. They are compelled to eliminate their competitor. In this particular scene, Raj B Shetty has excelled. The way he dances in this scene after killing the opposite tiger dance troupe proprietor deserves appreciation.

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana showcases the cultural as well as the anti-social activities of Mangalore. It also highlights how shrewd the politicians of this costal city are. Director R a j B Shetty has handled the megaphone with aplomb as he is familiar with local language and culture of the place. Rishab Shetty’s character in this movie has two shades -- a sincere friend and a greedy and ruthless gangster. And he gives a credible performance to these shades.

It is also nice to see Gopal Krishna Deshpande, who acted as a police officer, in an outstanding performance. His performance in a scene where an MLA slaps him makes the audiences sympathise with him. His acting skills in another scene where he gets a chance to slap the MLA back makes the audience vicariously pleased.

Midhun Mukundan does justice as a music director.

The specialty of this movie is that it connects with those in and around Mangalore and gives an opportunity for the audiences in other cities to know about culture and underworld activities of Mangalore.

Movie: Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (Kannada)

Cast: Prem, Rishab Shetty, Raj B Shetty, Gopal Krishna Deshpande and others

Director: Raj B Shetty

Duration: 151 minutes