Cyanide....a commendable effort in Kannada cinema

"Sivarasan may use any of these aliases, Raghuvaran, Raghuppa, Raja..." the lady in the Kannada Doordarshan news was blurting out the twenty aliases of Sivarasan on the TV, in the summer of 1991. The country had been shaken violently, by the gruesome assassination of the ex-Premier of India. The Deccan Herald of those days didn't carry any other news but the police news about the massive manhunt for the elusive team of LTTE, which had consummated the horror. The country was in gloom, the citizens were in a state of shock, and the police stood ridiculed.
And when the man hunt ended after those days of turmoil, the assassins were dead. But the details flashed in the dailies, on the militant group, the assassins, and the movement gave me a different picture than the initial one of a group of fanatics out to conquer the world.

But, how could the Karnataka police, never known for its efficiency or valor, capture one of the most intelligent assassins the world has ever seen?

This question lingered in my mind.

The 'Cyanide' movie cleared it.

The slick camera work, the very good clarity of the film used (believe me, this matters a lot), the near perfect performances by the artistes (they are supposedly theatre artists), taut script, and good work at the editing table, all make this effort a treat to watch.

There is not much of a story, but for what already has been published in news papers, and many other books that followed the assassination. But, the skill of the director lies exactly in this. He has not ventured into the history of the LTTE movement, or the background of the assassination team members. An occasional mention of the background is included to make the conversation flow natural. The director has not glamorized any characters, or their principles.
They have their point of view. That point of view does not hold good in this country. Hence, no matter whether they are right or wrong universally, they are wrong in this country, and hence will be punished in this country.
Cutting the crap, the narration sticks to the core.

The dialogues are impressively natural.
"How did you come to Bangalore?" Ranganath , a Bangalore local forced to help the team, asks Shubha, a team member.
She doesn't respond. She is busy nibbling on a fruit.
"How did you come to Bangalore?" he asks again.
"On a chemical tanker. Generally, the police don't venture to look at its content, as it is very smelly," she answers
"How did you sit inside it?"
"Cleaned it for three days. We put some holes in the wall of the tank, for breathing. Me and Master (Shivarasan) sat inside and played chess," she says.
"How will you play chess in the tanker? Won't the pawns fall off?" asks Ranganath.
"It is magnetic," she answers.

The performances by the ace artistes are impeccable. There is not a scene where the audience is embarrassed due to over acting. The professionals do not disappoint, and deliver without a flaw.

Technical limitations only occur in the form of the shoot out scenes between LTTE and the Srilankan army. The action scenes could have been more polished, and could be made more realistic than the usage of diwali crackers for bullet hits.

The narration style is journalistic in nature. It does not take parties, or state point of views. It just states the facts, and gets out.

For the audience who is fed up with bland love stories amidst terrorist back drop (Dil Se), and confusing point of views (Fiza) this is a refreshing change, where you are given what you came for....
'What actually happened.'

Short movie, tight movie.

A treat to watch.