Cast: Varun Tej, Praggya Jaiswal, Nikitin Dheer and Others
Directed by: Krish
Produced by: Rajeev Reddy, Sai Babu
Banner: First Frame Entertainments
Music by: Chirantan Bhatt
Release Date: 2015-10-22
There were tons of movies from various languages that were made in the backdrop of World War II. Interestingly no filmmaker from India has attempted to make a movie in this backdrop until now. Acclaimed Telugu director Krish dared to make a film that is based on World War II. Kanche that has grabbed eyeballs with the promos itself is a good attempt from the industry that is known for making cliched movies for the sake of being in safe zone commercially.
What is it about?
Dhupati Haribabu (Varun Tej) is an Indian soldier who fights against German army in the World War II. There is friction between his commander Eshwar (Nikitin) and Haribabu due to a past love story. Haribabu belongs to lower caste but falls in love with Seetha (Praggya) an upper caste girl, who is also sister of Eshwar. What happened in the past and the present tale of Haribabu's great rescue mission in Germany forms rest of the story.
Performances:
Varun Tej: We have to appreciate Varun Tej's guts for doing such a risky film as his second movie. He has shown lot of maturity as an actor. He is believable as the fearless soldier and lover. He is handsome and trying to do something different from routine in spite of coming from a family that has lot of following among the masses.
Praggya and Others: Praggya is good looking and also can act. Scenes between the lead pair are conceived very well. Praggya did justice to her role and will surely win hearts as Seethagaru. Nikitin is good as the antagonist. Gollapudi Maruti Rao and Shaokar Janaki added value to the film. Srinivas Avasarala provided much needed relief amidst heavy war episodes.
Technicalities:
Krish is a passionate filmmaker who always tries to offer variety to the film lovers. Kanche is yet another good script from the acclaimed director. There are some touching scenes that will make you salute the conviction of Krish. But we expect emotionally engaging film from the director who has made some unforgettable gems in the past.
Dialogues are excellent. Music could have been better. Most of the songs are situational. Itu itu has repeat value and is well shot. Background score is good in some scenes and average for most part of the film. Editing is decent. Cinematography is pretty good considering the cost of the film. Production values are good.
Thumbs Up:
Script
Dialogues
Thumbs Down:
No Emotional Depth
Predictability
Slow pace
Analysis:
Kanche is a welcome break for the audience who were bored seeing the same old formula films all the time. This film opens on a decent note and keeps you engaged until the interval point. Love story and war episodes run parallel in an interestingly written screenplay. The film loses steam somewhere during the midway though.
Krish is a master of dealing with emotions but Kanche falls short of expectations on the emotional front. Last thirty minutes are not so engaging despite some key moments. Dialog writer Sai Madhav has done an awesome job with his dialogues. He conveys more than what Krish does as a director, which is not a good sign of a good film.
Kanche may not be a perfect film but it is definitely worth a watch for its sincerity and the dedication of the filmmakers to do something against the tide. It is a genuine film that never deviates from the theme. It could have done wonders if the director got the emotions right in the second half. Hope Kanche does well despite the shortcomings so that many others would be inspired to make such honest films rather playing it safe.
Verdict: A Good Attempt But Fails To Push The Boundaries.