Sangharshana (2011)-Role: Bharati

Sangharshana, like Shambo Shiva Shambo, tells the violence-ridden story of the good-hearted leads, who are forced by the ruthless characters around them to run to save their lives. The life-threatening conditions that they end up in out of sheer bad fate and nothing else, render them helpless and leave scars on their psyche. However, this film, as the title goes, sees its long-victimised characters taking upon themselves to emerge brave-hearted from the existential fight. The message that is delivered here is moralizing and forceful, but the plot leaves much to be desired. To know why, read on.

Sangharshana is a melange of obscure elements (found in the flashbacks in the second half) and delightfully pure human emotions (aplenty in the first half). This makes the film look like a two-story, and multi-layered, drama. Depending on how you look at it, Sangharshana may seem arcane or just a brave experiment.

The film begins with Kumar and Naresh hanging a character upside down to a noose dangling over the well and later running away from the spot. The sense of mystery triggered by this unusual scene only deepens when they land in Hyderabad in the very next scene. Once in the city of opportunities, they come across as normal youngsters with goals and dreams of their own. They start working in a petrol bunk. Ambitious that they are, they also start a door-to-door delivery facility to earn extra bucks in their free time.

Swathi, who falls in love with Kumar, is a junior artist with dreams of her own. Nivetha, whom Naresh starts to woo, is their co-worker at the bunk. The film seems to be going on the right track when the romantic sequences strike a chord. Samuthrakaran explores touching emotions in the love track (watch out for the scene where Kumar accepts Swathi's love and the girl erupts in joyous tears); in the conscientious attitude of the heroes who want to come up in life by straight and honest means; in the friendship that Kumar strikes with a beggar and ends up making him an employee in his growing establishment.

Just when they think their life is on the right track, the villains from their past come back to hound them out. Why are the blood-thirsty men after them? What is the past of Kumar and Naresh? Answers to these questions are found in the second half, which is a film in itself.

This film ends up seeming uncommon because of an obscure and eerie plot that unfolds in half-two. You will be surprised yes, but the stretched scenes and long-winded flashback, with loads of blood-shed and violence thrown in, steals away the enjoyment. While we are shocked to know that Naresh had been a mentally unstable person from an asylum and Kumar had to become a murderer to save himself from the evil schemes of his own family, the characters themselves don't connect to us when they most need to in the latter part of the film. This is because the director expends too much effort to neatly present the details and leave the transformation of Kumar sketchy at best.

But, Kumar and Naresh share a wounded past, and they both have a struggle to put up to save themselves. This positive vibe comes to the fore in the climax, which could be seen as the message of Sangharshana - fight to the finish; victory will be yours.

The film's pace is meandering. If it looks like a romantic caper, it assumes the characteristics of a psychological thriller after a few minutes. It evokes fear in us. It makes us feel aghast at the widespread violence in our society (especially rural). However, when it comes to making our way into our hearts, Sangharshana fails completely - because it is neither character-oriented nor story-based completely.

The film's highlights should be the acting output of everyone from Sashi Kumar and Allari Naresh to Swathi and Nivetha. While SK exudes composure, calm as well as menace, AN shines in the role of a paranoid youngster always on the verge of losing his mental balance. (Watch out for his convulsion act).

The background score (by Sundar C Babu) is evocative. Screenplay is taut, but many scenes look terribly stretched.

All in all, Sangharshana is an uncommon film that is eerie and sympathetic at once.