Perspectives to "as seen by the rest"- Why Ulidavaru Kandante is one of the best plots ever!

Please Continue Reading only if you have watched the movie. Spoiler alert !!

A must Read for those who watched the movie and never really understood it and therefore concluded that it was a waste of time- I'm Making my Honest efforts to change your perspectives!

Lets begin with the end:

We all saw Raghu get killed. It was old vengeance between Richie and Raghu. We all knew it . Some of us predicted it.  And just when we thought we were right Dinesha says Raghu did not die and he left home to meet his mom.  And then we all thought, “oh! Well, he’s definitely lying, We watched him get shot! “ and some of us didn't even pay attention to what he said, because we knew it for sure that he got shot. And the rest of us were probably too bored by the end , and then we concluded the movie was a waste of time!

This was the only ending!. Right? Wrong! Now this is why UK stands out . Let me go through the whole thing once again and hopefully by the end of which you will appreciate what Rakshit Shetty tried to convey through this epic master piece!!

What did we all watch on screen? Was it the absolute truth?  It was finely stitched to make us believe that it was the absolute truth until the end! So what did we watch? Oh wait..Who narrated what stories again? Oh wait..There is no clarity as to who narrated what part of the story! This is were the beauty lies.  There is no clarity as to who narrated what!  “The Rest”. This is the crucial part of the movie. Shailesha, Dinesha, Democracy, Shankar Pujari and most importantly Balu are the ones who have narrated this.  WHEN YOU THINK ON WHO NARRATED WHAT..YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE TRUTH! That is exactly what Rakshit Shetty intended on doing and he did it successfully!

Rakshit shetty , like a magician, makes us sway to his screenplay and diverts our attention from intricacies  of the plot! This is why we all conclude that Raghu probably died!

Lets go through the scenes one by one again..and compare what we saw on screen to what we were supposed to see and I promise you, this will make you realise what perspectives are all about! A perspective to “As seen by the rest”!!

Scene 1- “Mounada Maatu”

What we all probably saw :  Raghu Steals the Bag which had the “thing”.  He told his mother he would be coming the next day for dinner. Promising shailesha that he would take him to Dubai. Telling him to make arrangements for Passport , so that he could take his mother to Dubai.

What we were supposed to see!!: This whole scene is as narrated by Shailesha.  Therefore, How true could this be? We are convinced that this is the truth! But most of us forgot that this was as narrated by Shailesha  and as interpreted by the journalist. We were so overwhelmed by the mother – son emotional scene..however who really witnessed that scene to describe it in the first place?  Think again!

Scene 2- Richie

 

What we probably saw : Richie is a bad ass. Rakshit shetty is so amazing! I wish I could watch him on screen for longer !  The dialogues are hilarious! Rakshit shetty is so amazing!!

What we were supposed to see: This scene can be narrated by,  in all probability Dinesha, and some of it by Richie's father and some of it by Shankar Pujari.  When Shankar pujari calls Richie to discuss about Balu, He clearly says “ This isn’t really about the money, its about loyalty” . He also asks Richie to take it easy on Balu.  Further,  if you observe, during the discussion, Shankar pujari also mentions about Raghu’s arrival to Richie!! ( Watch again if you haven’t observed this).  Also  Dinesha never describes much about the “thing” or the red bag!

Scene 3: Meen Curry

What we probably saw : A mother who is filled with sorrow and pain of losing her husband and son. Sells fish for a living.  Her son returns and tells her he is going to take her to Dubai. She is overwhelmed.  We all wept with the mother and son on their reunion. Highly Emotional. The Son never came back to have dinner! And therefore this helped us conclude Richie Killed him on the Boat! Convenient!

What we were supposed to see!!: Who even narrates this sequence? How do they no if she waited ? Why doesn’t the Journalist interview the mother when she is very much alive! A lot of things would have been very clear had she interviewed her! Now this sequence is just added to make the audience believe that the mother was waiting! Was she really waiting? Considering that Shailesha has narrated this story, we might be able to conclude something. However in the end of the movie, Shailesha Himself Says that he is unsure about whether or not Raghu Visited the mother!! This scene therefore could be an interpretation of the journalist and need not necessarily be the truth!

Scene 4 : Kelada Pisumatu

 

What we probably saw:  Democracy is so cute! Gatiya ilidu is such a melodious song! Oh Achyut kumar is the one with the tiger costume! Damn! Balu got murdered !

What we are supposed to see!!  Who narrates the sequence? In all probability the lover boy part of the sequence is narrated by Democracy and Dinesha. Detailed description could be based on Democracy’s  perception as he was all the time with Munna. When Munna goes to meet Shankar pujari, Shankar Pujari stressing on “not to harm Balu “ beyond limits is once again played on the screen. Mind you the same sequence appears twice on the screen. Also, Munna finds a bullet on the boat( No clarity as to who narrates this part as on the screen nobody sees munna find a bullet)  when he goes in search of balu.

Scene 5: Kaagi

 

What we probably saw: As predicted, Raghu Dies!! Obviously !!  Because Richie was pissed of f with him. We all came to know about  “the thing”. It glitters! Raghu stole the same “thing” that Balu found and the same “thing” for which Shankar poojari was behind Balu.  The annoying “KAW KAW” of the invisible crow. And how Achyut kumar has brilliantly delivered his dialogues in Kundapur Kannada. how “the thing” led to the death of Raghu.  Most of us are still curious about what  “the thing” could be!!

What we were supposed to see!! : In all probability , Balu is a schizophrenic  Marijuana Addict.  In the beginning of the scene, He says “ they are all looking at me, what will they think about me” while he refuses to narrate the incident.  The camera angle clearly shows that no one was present in the scene except the journalist and the guy who is convincing him to tell the story! Also he repeatedly shoos off an imaginary crow which he believes is following him! The journalist also has a “puzzled “ expression on her face on witnessing his behaviour. (observe closely the next time you watch it) .  Also through out the sequence, he is smoking Bhangi (Marijuana), which proves that he is a chronic Bhang addict.  Even during the tiger dance sequence he is constantly smoking weed !  The lines from the song kakig banna kanta “ Bhangi sedi tali, satya kanta, sullu kanta”  could be an indication it self, which could mean, the brain cant distinguish between what is true and what is not, when one is high on Bhangi ( marijuana).  This is really important for the conclusion!! Now think again, the entire death of raghu sequence was narrated by Balu, who happens to see things that are not there , who happens to smoke weed through out the movie.!! So did he actually die????

Ivallera nimitta!!

Lets admit it. Most of us never paid attention to these details. Of course we didn't. So recollecting all the details. How do I conclude it? Here is my conclusion to it.

The facts:

In the end. Dinesha says Raghu made a trunk call before they left and was very tensed. He also says he left early to meet his mother. Shailesha is unsure about whether Raghu met his mother or not. However he believes that Raghu would have definitely called him if he had safely reached Dubai. This could not be true. Raghu was never bound to call Shailesha and we have seen only shaileshas description of raghu and we haven’t seen what Raghu actually was! Also we notice that, in the end, Munna finds Bhangi on the boat and he smokes it and kills Richie . This bhangi , in all probability could be Balu’s, as he is seen smoking bhangi throughout the movie.  Therefore , he must have smoked bhangi on the boat as well!

We also see Shankar Pujari Repeatedly mentioning not to Do much Damage to Balu.  We also see that Shankar Pujari is the one who informs Richie about Raghu’s arrival and the details of were he is staying.

Possible conclusions:

1)      Balu’s version of the story is highly exaggerated. He is not in a sane state of mind due to excessive usage of Bhangi.  Richie might have shot a few shots in the air on the boat, just to scare balu, and Balu might have imagined that he killed Raghu. Balu Believed that the “thing “ was bad omen and therefore he wanted to believe that Raghu died because of it.  In all probability he is hallucinating. If what balu said was the truth, then why would Shankar Pujari not kill him?  Considering all this, we may conclude that there was never “the thing” . And its all Balus imagination, Like how he imagines the crow! Therefore  Raghu never got murdered.  HE might have visited his mother and left to Dubai without informing to shailesha.

2)      Shankar Pujari might have got the information from Mumbai underworld. Therefore he informs Richie about Raghu’s arrival and how he has stolen the bag from them. Richie takes him and murders him on the boat. Dinesha Says Richie didn't kill Raghu, only to protect Shankar Pujari. Kindly note that, Richie gets the information about Raghu’s arrival only Via Shankar Pujari

3)      What Balu says could be the truth. And the ending shown in the movie could be the real  ending. Dinesha could have hidden the “thing” after Raghus Death, Therefore, to avoid further discussions about it, He Says that Richie Did not  Kill Raghu.

4)      In the last scene when Richie dies, No one but Dinesha witness’s his death.  Even though Shankar Pujari is said to be watching the tiger dance, There is no trace of him while Richie dies!! This could mean the journalist’s conclusion of the last scene could be wrong. In all probability, Dinesha and the others on the boat might have hidden “the thing” and killed Richie who was trying to hand it over to Shankar Pujari!! And therefore, Dinesh could be lying about Raghu not being murdered!

5)      Last But not the least!!  This whole thing could be similar to The joker’s Plan in the first scene of Dark Knight. Let me explain it!!

Several times in the movie, Shankar pujari Talks to Richie in private and no one knows what they talk about except for Shankar pujari himself.!

When Shankar Pujari is talking to Munna, he asks him about the engine, But none of the others narrating the incident, that is Dinesha, Shailesha and Balu or democracy, Know what he exactly talks to munna!!

As Balu says…Shankar Pujari Could have been Behind “the thing” . He gives information about Raghu’s arrival to Richie and tells Richie to murder Raghu once he collects the bag. He might have in turn told munna to murder Richie once Richie collects the bag. And in turn,he might have told Dinesha to murder munna and close the loop. Therefore Dinesha completely hides the death of Raghu and closes the entire loop. Richie could have been a strong threat to the “the thing” and therefore he dies.

I could come up with a 100 endings just like this and this is why "ulidavru kandante"is a true master piece. Much like real life, there is never an absolute ending to an event. People can give you Perspectives and no matter how hard you try, truth is never absolute!