Accident, an enjoyable thriller

Suspense thrillers are a rarity in Kannada films these days with the absence of Sunil Kumar Desai, who is on a break, and Upendra and Kashinath, makers of this genre of films, not making them anymore.

Also read: A thriller named Accident

So, Ramesh Arvind's third directorial venture, a thriller, comes as a welcome respite from all the romantic musicals and gangster films prevalent in the industry at the moment.

And what's even better is that Ramesh has succeeded in his efforts to present a totally different type of thriller, full of engaging moments.

He has also done a competent job both as an actor and director. The film is brilliantly conceived and executed, and the script compact and precise. The narration is neat with the events are seen unfolding very fast on the screen. While, at times some of the sequences defy logic, yet the pace of the film overshadows all that. The suspense is well maintained till the end, which is a major victory for Ramesh.

The actor-cum director has also managed to select the perfect cast for the film. Most of the new actors have acted perfectly in their given roles. Ironically, the only one with experience, theatre artist Rajendra Karanth, has done a rather bad job of his role as a minister.

Another jarring note is the way the cruel death of an Indian Administrative Service officer in the film is treated as a minor incident.

The story goes like this -- Sawanth (Ramesh) is a radio jockey, with a loving wife and a group of friends. His wife is an activist who fights for justice. When Sawanth goes for training abroad, his wife along with her companion are killed in a mysterious car accident at an unmanned railway crossing.

A devastated Sawanth then tries to investigate the matter with the help of the police. Meanwhile, all those with links to his wife's murder are either brutally killed or expire under mysterious circumstances.

Finally, Sawanth finds out the real culprits.

As an actor, Ramesh stands out. He has shown a lot of maturity in his performances. This is Rekha's (Ramesh's wife in the film) best performance so far. Pooja Gandhi carries off both her bubbly and serious act with aplomb. All the other artists have also done a good job. 

Ricky Kej's music is another major attraction of the film. Kunal Ganjawala's Baa Maleye Baa, the Dandia song and the group song shot in Goa, have all been well composed. The background score is perfect.

Cinematography by veteran cinematographer G S Bhaskar is excellent and so is Soundar Rajan's editing.

All in all, Ramesh Arvind's Accident is an enjoyable thriller. 

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