777 Charlie

At a time when high-octane action films are ruling the roost, Kiranraj convincingly reminds us to open our hearts to heartwarming but simple stories. While there are scenes that needed a bit more fleshing out, some of these flaws can be ignored because of the heart of the director that is seen through each and every scene of this almost 3-hour-long film. Dharma isn't a one-dimensional character, and Rakshit strikes a superb balance in portraying the role and its various shades. He plays off Charlie, whose soul and spontaneity, make you want to consider having such a companion for yourself. Their equation is definitely the soul of the film and it is amusing, evocative, and manages to wring out tears with ease.

Charlie is the film's soul, who conveys a range of emotions brilliantly. Her personality is enough to fill the film's silences as she forever disrupts her surroundings with her naughtiness. She would run away with Dharma's underwear and make him chase her around the colony in just a towel. She would mess up his house and even drop a rat on her master's face. In fact, the pup seems to be living her life in the film without noticing the cameras or the crew around. 777 Charlie is filled with emotional, fun and aww-worthy moments. The film totally rests on her shoulder, or should we paws? She is always in the moment.

Director Kiranraj K has bathed the world of Charlie in hues of soft and warm blue light filling each frame with a sense of calmness. The colour palette mimics the weather of Bengaluru in monsoon and thus assumes a dream-like quality. Composer Nobin Paul’s tunes blend seamlessly with the vision of Kiranraj, enhancing the feel-good elements in the movie. Chaos, unrelenting violence, and slaughter by guns of all shapes and sizes have mostly formed our core movie experience this year so far. The mantra this year has been — the bigger the guns, the bigger the destruction, the bigger the success at the box office. And the makers of 777 Charlie deserve a pat on the back for believing that people would still respond to movies that offer a quieter experience of self-reflection about the absurdity of life.

Kiranraj’s screenplay starts out well, giving us shards of Dharma’s brittle personality and meticulously building up his rapport with Charlie. But unwilling – or simply unable – to cut away from suffering human and adorable beast, the film descends into a pile of soggy sentiment. Dharma’s road trip with Charlie seemingly has a destination, but the film takes forever to get there. Packed with interludes and distractions that are further interspersed with peppy songs and moments that mirror YouTube videos about overperforming canines, 777 Charlie loses its grip and its way. If Dharma is saved by Charlie, the film too is rescued ever so often by a single look or bark. Showered with loving close-ups by cinematographer Arvind Kashyap and given her generous share of reaction shots by editor Pratheek Shetty, Charlie is always in the moment.

The larger idea of a man hating a dog but ending up loving the latter more than himself is cliched and the film even loses its grip as it moves towards the climax, but the way 777 Charlie is pictured lets you get past those distractions. Special credits to cinematographer Aravind Kashyap in making that happen. The snow-capped Himalayas, especially the climax sequence, will be etched in your memory. It is commendable that the crew has excelled in presenting a heartwarming tale by taking up the challenge to capture the innocence, mischievousness and the intense emotions of Charlie. The film reminds us about pet adoption and points out as to how, when people indulge in inbreeding, it has a detrimental effect to the dog community. Even if you are not a pet lover, 777 Charlie will turn you into one.

777 Charlie' is a family film with a difference and let's hope the film inspires a healthy trend in Kannada cinema