Panchatantra Review: A ‘racy’ film with sharp twists and turns

The popular folk tale of the race between the hare and the tortoise is brought into a modern day context in Yogaraj Bhat’s Panchatantra. A tale of two groups - young and old - facing different kinds of struggles, this film puts a very simple thought in a profound manner. The question remains which of these two will win this complicated journey.

Cast: Vihan, Sonal Monteiro, Rangayana Raghu, Kari Subbu, Raja Balwadi and  Deepak Shetty
Director: Yogaraj Bhat

This is the story in a nutshell. There is a property dispute between old men and youngsters, who are basically car mechanics that run a garage under the name ‘Bond’. It is decided that a racing competition will decide the ownership of the plot and this puts the seniors and high-spirited youngsters firmly in opposite camps. In parallel to this story runs the romance between Karthik (Vihan) and Sahitya (Sonal Monteiro), who are childhood friends that later develop feelings for each other. A moment of romance between the two put them in a spot and this doesn’t go down well with Sahitya’s father (Rangayana Raghu). Now Sahitya has to choose between two valued relationships.

With Panchatantra, Bhatru comes up with a well-crafted story, unlike the director’s previous films and a perfect casting takes this movie as close to reality as possible. A busy plot with lots of rootable characters and constant action is fuelled by its humour. The latter part of the film is adventure non stop. While the race keeps the audience on the edge, somewhere along the way, the journey also takes us on an emotional drive.

All actors, including the lead pairs, have justified their respective characters. Vihan and Sonal Monteiro share a good on-screen chemistry. Cars play an important role and the invigorating race keeps the audience in high spirits. Along with them is a host of actors, including Rangayana Raghu, Kari Subbu, Deepak Shetty, Bala Rajwadi, Kanthraj Kaddipudi, Nandu, Sagar, Azhar, Aditya Dilip, Sakshi, Apoorva, and Kavitha whose presence keeps you entertained.

The background score by Harikrishna goes well with the race theme of the story. Another highlight of Panchatantra are its songs, with every track placed meaningfully with Srugarada Hongemara topping the charts. Cinematographer Sugnaan maps out the landscape beautifully, perfectly capturing the speed on the mud roads and in long stretches. 

Panchatantra is about two different generations going on an emotional drive and we recommend you to hop on to it too.