Rathnan Prapancha Movie Review: A family drama that is entertaining in parts; Dhananjaya nails the show

Director: Rohit Padaki

Cast: Dhananjaya, Reba Monica John, Umashree 

Rating: 3/5

Review by Bhavana Sharma

Rathnan Prapancha is the first Kannada film that skipped theatrical release and streamed on OTT directly. The film is streaming from today on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Rohit Padaki, the film has Dhananjaya, Reba Monica John, Umashree in lead roles. The film is a gentle and subtle drama people will definitely love watching. Here's the review. 

Rathnakaran (Dhananjaya) and his mother Saroja (Umashree) never got along. They always had some or the other fight ans argument that annoys Rathna. he always used to feel that there is something wrong in between him and her but never understood what is actually wrong. His mother wants him to publish an ad in the newspaper in search of their lost dog. In the process, he meets Mayuri (Reba) who is a journalist. Working on the case of his Rathna's mission dog, Mayuri comes to know that Saroja is not Rathna's biological mother and that was adopted by her late husband Ramesh. Rathna now realises why he could never be on good terms with Saroja whereas the latter tells him that the one who brought him up is the actual mother and she has taken his responsibility. Mayuri and Rathna begin the search for Rathna's biological mother. In this journey, he comes to know about many hidden truths about his life and learns some tough lessons. But will he manage to find the one who gave birth to him? Watch the film to know more. 

This is a well written story. The narration, screenplay and the direction seems fresh and interesting. Rohit, as a director, seems to have done a good job. Though there are a few parts which seem boring and stretched, he has written a good and emotional story. Talking about the performances of the actors, nobody else could have done the role of Rathnakaran as good as Dhananjaya managed to do. He got into the skin of the character and is amazing. There are scenes where he has to show his anger, and that he is quite irritated. He has depicted those emotions really well. As a middle class guy who is trying to find some peace at home, an in life, he undergoes a lot of stress everyday. And he is the perfect choice for that frustrated middle class man. Reba plays a key role in the plot as she helps Rathna find his biological family. She is a good choice for the character. Umashree needs appreciation here. She is a mom who keeps blabbering something or the other the whole day and is busy watching daily soaps. She believes that she is Rathna's mom and they brought him up. She is annoying, but still caring. Other artistes in the film, such as Anu Prabhakar, Ravishankar Gowda, Ashok Sharma, Shruthi have done a decent job for the characters given to them. 

The film has a lot of human values to talk about and is talks about all the emotions a man had to deal with. It teaches what is important and what isn't in a relationship. Adding more to it, the director has focused more on how bonds are made and why it isn't so easy to break them.The film is shot in Bangalore, Kashmir, and a few more parts in Karnataka as well. Cinematography by Shrestha Kuduvalli is praise worthy. Music by Ajaneesh Loknath is also good enough.

On the whole, this film is worth watching once this weekend.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Dhananjaya & Reba Monica John on Rathnan Prapancha, their characters, OTT release & more