‘Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana’ movie review: Diganth is delightful in this mostly engaging crime comedy

Diganth in ‘Edagaiye Apaghattake Karana’.
| Photo Credit: Hyphen Pictures/YouTube

Filmmakers often get carried away while dealing with off-beat topics. A major shortcoming in a film involving a quirky subject is the amount of time it takes to establish the concept. In Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana, director Samarth Kadkol doesn’t make such a mistake.

As the title suggests, the film delves straight into the daily struggles of left-handers and the social bias they face. In the middle of a secret date with Pooja (Nidhi Subbaiah) at her apartment, Lohith (Diganth) discusses how the Indian business market hasn’t catered to the 10 percent of the population of left-handers. It’s a casual conversation, but we feel the impending danger looming over the couple. This is the real triumph of Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana. It maintains a nice balance of humour and suspense.

The film is also self-aware. Lohith and Pooja break into a jig in the middle of their date. The song feels like a disruption in a film that’s promising a crime thriller. As soon as the song ends, a message appears on the screen, reading: Thank you for your patience. An unexpected death puts the lead character, Lothith, in deep trouble, and the film enters the Sriram Raghavan world of casually amoral characters and idiosyncratic twists.

Diganth beautifully anchors this film, proving that he has evolved as a performer over the years. The innocent and socially awkward guy he plays in this film is an evolved version of his famous Dhoodh Peda character from Gaalipata (2008). He brings an immediate likeability to his performance with his wonderful dialogue delivery. Abhimanyu Sadanandan’s cinematography and Praddyotan’s music complement the film’s noir aesthetics.

Dhanu Harsha, with a great share of screen time, stands out as she goes toe to toe with Diganth. The movie offsets the theory that strong villains in commercial cinema are male. However, the film needed a strong backstory to the antagonist.

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The film wobbles in the climax as it tries to blur reality and illusion. By exploring the human psyche, the makers try to recreate the high of the path-breaking Lucia (2013). However, by taking that path, the movie forgets what it wants to say. The thrilling plot of a left hander’s problem leading to a freak crime almost gets . The sudden change in tone — from dark comedy to emotion — feels forced. The landing issues apart, Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana is an engaging watch with enough surprises.

Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana is currently running in theatres