Nodidavaru Enanthare (Kannada)
Siddharth Devaiah (Naveen Shankar) is a man waiting to implode just so that he can start fresh. He has a plush job as a web designer that he dislikes or doesn’t care much about, his love life has left him wounded and resentful, and the fact that his mother left him, to pursue dreams of her own when he was only two years old, still deeply haunts him. There’s help out there that he can easily afford and there is enough goodwill around him to bank upon, but Siddharth is unwilling to let anything come close to him. It is as though he is looking forward to seeing everything crumble to make something new of the debris, of finding at least a semblance of self in those ruins. It is as though he wants nothing of the world that surrounds him, so instead he goes looking for one of his own.
Kuldeep Cariappa’s Nodidavaru Enanthare (his feature debut) is a film that sees the literal journey also as a metaphorical and therapeutic one. It’s an exercise that seems well aware that the process of self-discovery has been documented countless times before in cinema, but it still submits to its own ‘calling’ with a lot of heart and sincerity.
It falters in many places, grows predictable at times and even risks overstating itself, nevertheless allowing its protagonist the time, the space and the empathy to explore and exist as he feels. It helps that Naveen Shankar is effortlessly discreet and genuine as Siddharth to handhold us through this journey (with Ashwin Kennedy’s cinematography as a valuable companion), wherein he forges bonds with many different people.
The most charming of these encounters occurs early in the film when he runs into a young shepherd named Mallanna. Mallanna is sprightly, uninhibited and also a teenager which means that at this point in his life, he is the antithesis of Siddharth. There’s a kind of naivete about him that one perhaps doesn’t spot in city folk and his inquisitiveness about the ‘creature’ that Siddharth is - dishevelled, brooding and lost - probes into the mind of the protagonist and compels him to get out of his rut for a bit. There’s an endearing father-son-like equation between the two that plays out with some fun and banter, with Mallanna getting a crack at some zingy one-liners.
It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that the core purpose of Nodidavaru Enanthare, as the title (meaning ‘What will people say?’) suggests, is to see Siddharth challenge societal conventions and live life the way he wishes to. Time and again, we find him breaking into diatribes about how the culture around him - from the emotionless workplaces to the accepted ideas of caste, marriage and ‘settling down’ - has increasingly gone toxic.
At the same time, we also spot that he carries a few prejudices and bigoted views of his own, particularly towards women. Interestingly, the film introduces an attractive young woman named Nadia (Apoorva Bharadwaj) as his next journey mate to not only counter those views but also see him step out of his confines and evolve.
Nadia is free-spirited and is enamoured by Siddharth’s desire to be a writer. The two hit it off on their very first meeting on a Gokarna beach and soon, we see them confiding in one another about the lives that they would each want for themselves. As the enigma about her starts to dissipate, Siddharth, too, loosens up to hint that the change he sought from this journey is finally working its charm.
Naveen Shankar and Apoorva Bharadwaj share good camaraderie in these portions and although the romantic angle between them feels forced, it still manages to leave an impression.
However, it is at this point in the narrative that Nodidavaru Enanthare begins to double down on spelling things out for us. The conversations between Nadia and Siddharth are engaging but they lack the endearing awkwardness or candour that two strangers are meant to share. We hear him talking about ‘losing and finding himself’ a few too many times and her chipping in with musings about life, but none of those tender confessions translates to being organic because they feel a tad forced.
An important characteristic of any road movie is its raw, spontaneous nature that gives rise to events that, although carefully scripted, feel random and unplanned. The writing in Nodidavaru Enanthare could have afforded more agency in this regard, meaning that it should have let itself loose and first constructed a solid conceit to subtly imbue the narrative with the message of self-exploration.
What it also means is that the film could have afforded taking a few more risks, and this particular concern crops up during the final leg of Siddharth’s journey. It is apparent all along that his personal quest is incomplete without that destined meeting with his estranged mother, and Kuldeep Cariappa does well to build that moment up.
Naveen Shankar, in the company of veteran actor/theatre personality Padmavati Rao, rises to the occasion with his commendable show of vulnerability. Perspectives and temperaments change during the course of the confrontation and a weight seems almost lifted off the two characters - except that the denouement feels rather convenient given the high emotional stakes of the moment.
It goes without saying that Nodidavaru Enanthare is an ambitious attempt in its own right, particularly for a film tackling the subjects of identity and existentialism. It has a supremely committed Naveen Shankar (and a talented ensemble cast) leading the way and a competent technical crew in support, but what's missing is a bit of inventiveness.
The overemphasised writing has its share of shortcomings, but the film still strikes a chord because of its earnestness.
Swaroop Kodur is a freelance film writer, critic, and fledgling filmmaker.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.