Dhairyam: Effective mind games between good & evil

They say that ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing’. But in Shiva Tejas’s Dhairyam, the protagonist does prevail over evil, but by relying on unlawful means. 

The story is about a middle-class youngster, Krishna (Krishna Ajai Rao), who uses his courage and extraordinary intelligence to make a fast buck and make ends meet for his family. In the process, Krishna unravels a crime that involves politicians and the police. But an incident lands him in jail on false charges. The second half is how he plans his escape and takes on the corrupt politicians and police officers using his intelligence. 

Cast: Krishna Ajai Rao, Aditi Prabhudeva, Ravi Shankar
Director: Shiva Tejas

Shiva Tejas has blended family values into this thriller, which also expounds on a social message of how money is all-important today and drives youngsters to cross moral limits. The cat-and-mouse sequences between Krishna and Ashok Kashyap (Ravi Shankar), the cop, is well executed, but they are watered down when the family drama sets in. The director could have kept the suspense for longer, instead of revealing it all too soon and giving us a lukewarm climax. Moreover, he fails to convince us why a youngster who uses unlawful means to make a fast buck should be allowed to get away with.

Ajai has indeed grown as an actor. He emotes well and delivers cleverly written dialogues effectively. Of course, there is his trademark lover-boy image. Aditi Prabhudeva is definitely the new heroine to watch out for in Kannada cinema. Her first silver-screen appearance is impressive. 

By default, only Ravi Shankar can do justice to the role of a corrupt police officer. Even though he has a movie out almost every other week, he makes his presence felt doing different kinds of roles. And ably supporting him is Jai Jagadish as a politician.

Music director Emil makes it all entertaining with some peppy songs. Another highlight is the cinematography by Shekar Chandra, who captures Bengaluru effectively through his aerial shots. 

Dhairyam makes for a one time watch, especially for the mind games between two good actors-- Krishna Ajai Rao and Ravi Shankar.