Cast: Charlie, Rakshit Shetty, Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B Shetty, Danish Sait, Bobby Simha
It takes courage to make a film where the leading hero, otherwise known for his pleasant face, is dour, seen among machines and sparks, and smiles only about half an hour into the film, and laughs well after an hour.
It takes a different kind of confidence to make a full-length film about the love between a dog and a man. The first time Charlie sees Dharma, he's surrounded by smoke, almost dream-like. Charlie's eyes light up in a way they don't do for anyone else. And, when Charlie enters lonely Dharma's life, she turns it upside down, and he eventually literally moves mountains to fulfil her desire.
So, is Kiranraj's Rakshit Shetty-starrer 777 Charlie sans any issues? Not quite. The runtime (165 minutes) is a bit of a stretch and some characters seem to exist only to prove a point. However, because the film is all heart, you almost allow yourself to put up with and forgive those transgressions. Kiranraj has the ability to let the big moments walk in unobtrusively, therefore hitting you harder.
Rakshit has backed the film too with co-producer GS Gupta, and has often spoken about how the film changed him as a person too. I'm terrified of dogs, having been attacked as a child, but I might just say hello to the next dog I meet. That's what 777 Charlie did to me.
Yes, Charlie's naughty, she's a bundle of unmitigated energy and she loves to eat — idli with chutney or branded dog food. But she loves to destroy too — beer bottles, furniture, shoes… And she knows how to love. In a colony where dogs are not allowed, she manages to make a completely asocial man who works in a factory and never takes a day off or leave early, sneak her in and raise her. She makes him leave office early. She makes him undertake the journey of his life. She becomes friends with a kid Adrika (a sweet Sharvari) in the neighbourhood and chases after an ambulance when her human is taken to hospital.
That look on Dharma's face when he realises that someone loves him — priceless. After this, his nightmares about his family and trauma as a child also stop.
What do humans yearn for after all? The desire to be loved. And when fate brings together two souls that are lonely and hurt, what you get is Charlie. The first time Dharma laughs is when he brings back Charlie from the family that adopted her from him.
Full credit to the team (Pramod BC) that trained Charlie for the film — she's a bundle of joy and looks gorgeous on screen. And, you just know that Rakshit truly bonded with the dog — their scenes together are lit and filled with deep warmth and acceptance and love.
But great intent and a wonderful core are not enough to make a film flawless — I understand a film needs to breathe, but sometimes 777 Charlie does so in slow motion. What can be said in two scenes, get stretched till the magic of that moment gets diluted.
Raj B Shetty, who was mercurial as Shiva in last year's Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, plays veterinarian Dr Ashwin Kumar, and Bobby Simha plays Vamshi Singh, another wounded man whose life was rescued by a dog. There's a cute canine love story too.
Sangeetha Sringeri plays an animal welfare official, and full credit to Kiranraj for not ever turning her into a simpering girl who pines for the hero — she's seen among animals always, even if you wonder if these officials actually track pets using a tracker and travel across cities to check on them.
Some characters seem force-fitted into the narrative to show and tell us Dharma's character and his ability to be kind. Sometimes, it's enough to show and not tell. Like Krupakar played by the usually wonderful Gopalkrishna Deshpande. Danish Sait plays a reporter who goes on to write about Dharma and Charlie, and this helps them at a later stage.
The elderly couple running the food stall is lovely — the late Bhargavi Narayan plays the grandmother who always disobeys Dharma's instructions for two idlis, and packs in an extra. In many ways, that extra idli is what reinforces Charlie's dependance on Dharma. Towards the end, when Dharma calls the lady, she just instinctively knows it is him on the line.
The film has an excellent tech team — cinematography by Arvind S Kashyap is beyond lovely — he makes us look at the world the way Charlie and Dharma see it. Dharma's home is dark and dingy when we begin — towards the end, it remains dingy, but light steps in, cleansing a tortured man's soul.
Music by Nobin Paul is like an all-India tour, giving you a glimpse of the places Dharma and Charlie travel to. Look out for O'ga on the big screen — it's a deeply calming number.
I watched the film in Hindi, and it was pretty pretty good. The dubbing quality was effective, and Rakshit's unique voice shone through here too, because he's dubbed for himself.
The film seeks to make a bigger point — about the need to adopt and not shop for dogs, and about how breeding factories create puppies like it's a factory line. But that portion about Charlie's earlier avatar as Keaton is rushed and you don't see the point of it all, other than that a tattooed man in a home in the middle of nowhere is bad and deserves punishment. Probably, if that portion had a little clarity, you'd fall in love with Charlie long before you do.
I won't say anything about the end stretch, because it's meant to be experienced, the way Charlie experiences something she's only seen on television till then.
But watch the film, for it's all heart, and sometimes, we need films that make us feel and not think.
Under the sub-heading 'Tournament & Trial Camp Expenses,' the CAU has claimed expenses of Rs 1,74,07,346 for food and...
The woman, who was riding a pillion on a two-wheeler, fell down after being hit by a bullet as the on-duty policeman...
MBOSE SSLC Result 2022: Students can check Meghalaya Board SSLC result 2022 link and download marksheet on the official...
The IMD has also warned of isolated extremely heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh on June 10-11, and Assam and Meghalaya ...
Candidates who have appeared for the written exam can check AP POLYCET result 2022 link at polycetap.nic.in.
AP POLYCET Result 2022: Candidates can download AP Polytechnic result 2022 rank card link on the official website at -...
The Rajya Sabha election were held on Friday to fill 16 vacant seats in four states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka ...
Ranveer Singh has teamed up with the King of the Wild - Bear Grylls for India’s first interactive adventure reality...
Chasing a mammoth 212, Miller (64 not out) and Van der Dussen (75 not out)shared an unbeaten 131-run stand for the...
Actor Nayanthara and director Vignesh Shivan, who have been in a relationship for almost seven years, tied the knot on...
Take a look at Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut's newly built villa in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, designed by the Dhaakad...
Raj, one of the greatest female cricketers to have played the game, announced retirement from all forms of international ...
Australian bowling legend Brett Lee spoke to News9 in an exclusive interview
The course has been designed in association with the Dubai based ICC Cricket Academy and offers three levels of...
News9 Sports speaks to World Boxing Champion Nikhat Zareen on her journey, Mary Kom spat, love for Salman Khan and much...