Calendar Movie Review:
What if the most dismissed biological cycle in a woman’s life could tilt the balance between reason and ruin? This question carries weight, but Calendar holds it back, almost unsure how to bring it up until the very end. When it finally comes into focus, the film finds clarity. It asks us to rethink how casually the before-and-after of menstrual cycles are treated, and how the emotional shifts around them can influence behavior and consequences in serious ways. It is a strong idea with room for depth, but the film does not stay with it long enough.
For most of its runtime, Calendar settles into a familiar path. It plays out like a straightforward murder mystery, built around Akash (Adarsh Gunduraj), a doctor who has slipped into alcoholism after a failed relationship with Nakshatra (Sushmitha Nayak). We meet him in a bar, holding on to his pain, convinced that no one understands him. His friend Surya (Gurunandan), who owns the bar, gives him space while also trying to guide him back to his profession. But Akash does not move forward. He remains stuck, and the film follows him without adding much to who he is.
Director: Naveen Shakthi
Cast: Adarsh Gunduraj, Ramesh Indira, Malashree, Pramod Shetty, Sushmitha Nayak, and Nivishka Patil
The shift comes with Malavika (Nishvika Patil). Her marriage to Raj begins to strain under suspicion about her closeness to Akash. The tension grows and turns into violence, with Raj later found dead. From here, the film turns to an investigative drama. Lawyer (Suchendra Prasad) and investigating officer Yuvaraj Ontimani (Ramesh Indira) come in, the latter bringing a slightly offbeat and quirky presence. Around them are figures of authority, including a father, a politician, and an officer, each trying to take charge of the situation.
The film finds some strength when it returns to Akash’s past. Ramya, his classmate, now in an unhappy marriage with aspiring politician Rakesh (Pramod Shetty), re-enters his life. Through her, the film shows how relationships can repeat and break without warning. Her suicide, along with other deaths and unresolved threads, is brought together during a media interaction led by Health Minister (Malashree), who too has lost a sister. It is here that the film finally places the focus on menstrual health, presenting it as something that affects everyone and requires attention at a broader level.
But this is also where the film weakens. The central idea comes too late and feels separate from the story. Instead of growing through the characters, it is explained directly.
Director Naveen Shakthi works with a serious subject, but takes too long to reach it. Adarsh Gunduraj and a few other actors get underwritten roles. Even with actors like Ramesh Indira, Gurunandan, Pramod Shetty, and Malashree, the film does not make full use of their presence.
Calendar does not fully resolve its argument, but it leaves a clear question. There are days on the calendar that are hard for a woman to explain, yet they are often dismissed or misunderstood. What happens when we ignore the cycles that affect women’s behaviour? The film raises it, but the effect does not fully come through.