Missing Boy Review: A poignant, realistic portrayal of a real-life story
Rating:(3.5 / 5)
When director Raghuram decided to bring to screen the real-life story of the reunion of a separated mother and son, he knew he'd have to get the psychological complexities and the emotions right in order to make it appeal to the audience. The film had to be both believable and relatable. And with Missing Boy, Raghuram succeeds magnificently. His screenplay is rich and realistic at the same time. The closeness of the separated mother and son, even after the passing of 25 years, is portrayed poignantly.
Director: Raghuram
Cast: Gurunadan, Rangayana Raghu, Ravishankar Gowda
Missing Boy is about Nishchay Jagadish (Gurunandan), a businessman in Europe, who has vague memories of his childhood. He soon discovers that he was adopted, leading him to come to Karnataka in search of his biological mother. With the help of the police, a journalist, a videographer, and a cabbie, he undertakes this search, and the emotional trauma that ensues takes the story to an stirring climax.
Inspired by a real incident, Raghuram brings his film to life with his honest presentation and well-defined characters. He also deserves credit for bringing together the right cast, especially the actors playing the mothers -- Vijayalakshmi Singh, Sumithra, Yamuna Srinidhi and Bhagirathi Kadam. Gurunandan, who is just a few films old, plays his character of the son with feeling, and this is easily his best performance yet. Ranghayana Raghu does his bit to elevate this film, along with Archana Jayakrishnan and Ravi Shankar Gowda, and the able support from actors Shobhraj and Jai Jagadish.
Music director V Harikrishna complements the film with his songs and background score. The soundtrack has a couple of good medleys, and a few lines from Prem's evergreen track from Jogi are perfectly placed in this film. Cinematographer Jagadish Wali plays a key role in bringing out the right essence of this emotional film, and he does a good job of capturing the setting -- Bengaluru to Hubbali.
Overall, Missing Boy paints a realistic, poignant picture of a real-life story and is a film that will surely touch your heart.