Balaramana Dinagalu movie story: Balarama (Vinod Prabhaakar), arrives in Bengaluru in the hope of finding employment, but when his purse is stolen and he confronts the young thief, he crosses paths with Binda (Dragon Manju), who runs a pickpocketing ring. Balarama’s minor scuffle with Binda leaves the latter dead, and the former on the way to his presumed end at the hands of gangster Jayaram (Ashish Vidyarthi). Instead, Balarama gets absorbed into Jayaram’s gang, where he slowly rises up the ranks to become a formidable figure in Bengaluru’s underworld.
Balaramana Dinagalu movie review: Balaramana Dinagalu, according to its writer-director KM Chaitanya, is a fictional retelling of true events that played out in the underworld of 1980s and 90s Bengaluru. The characters bear names that ring suspiciously close to those of real gangsters from that era and if you’ve watched Chaitanya’s Aa Dinagalu or Dhananjaya’s Head Bush, among others, putting two and two together to figure out the exact references won’t be that hard. The makers must have had a compelling enough reason to take the ‘fiction’ route.
Vinod Prabhaakar in Balaramana Dinagalu
The film is set in Bengaluru of the 80s and 90s, a time during which gangsters like MP Jayaraj, Kotwal Ramachandra and Muthappa Rai had a firm hold over the city. In Chaitanya’s story, two of them feature prominently as Jayaram (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Monappa Rai (Ramesh Indira) and explores their rivalry from the perspective of their respective gang members Bala (Vinod) and Katthi (Vinay Gowda).
If Shashidhar (Atul Kulkarni) is the brains of Jayaram’s operation, Bala becomes the muscle, although his motivation to ditch the pursuit of a ‘normal’ job and wholeheartedly embrace a life of violence is not clearly established. Yes, Bala hints at having used combat to good effect, but the brief glimpse of his family back in the ooru does not suggest an upbringing that necessitated violent means to an end. Bala’s moral compass and his steadfast refusal to let youngsters follow in his footsteps are also elements that only get passing mentions and needed more substance.
There’s just so much happening with all the other characters, that Bala’s rise up the ranks becomes a side note. But despite this shortcoming and a predictable ending, by and large, Balaramana Dinagalu remains an engaging watch, primarily because of its cast and technical aspects. Vinod Prabhaakar, who has been actively trying to break out of the action (only) hero mold, gets a character that still relies on his punching and kicking abilities, but also asks more of him. He doesn’t disappoint, turning in a measured performance and never overplaying his cards.
Vinod Prabhaakar in Balaramana Dinagalu
Vinay Gowda as the Tamil-speaking Srirampura Katthi was perfectly cast, although his Tamil-Kannada oscillation seemed like a deliberate construct to negate flak about too much Tamil in a Kannada film. The rest of the cast, including Ashish Vidyarthi, Atul Kulkarni, Ramesh Indira, Aditya Ashree, among others, bring the gravitas their roles required. HC Venu’s cinematography, except the attempt at a one-shot action block in a market, deserves a special mention, while Santhosh Narayanan’s score sets the tempo and mood just right.
Balaramana Dinagalu verdict: At a time when Kannada movie audiences often complain that the industry keeps churning out rote gangster flicks, Chaitanya’s film tries to tell more than just who killed who and how. In a violent world, he chooses not to make the blood and mayhem the mainstay. Is it the most compelling watch? Perhaps not. But it certainly does not disappoint.
