‘X&Y' movie review: Satya Prakash's human drama is an audacious attempt

The Hindu

2 days ago

In films with audacious subjects, a viewer needs to believe in the world the filmmaker is trying to create. If you fixate on the logic behind it, you cannot see what the director is trying to say. What are the chances of the soul of an unborn child getting into the body of a beggar (essayed by Atharva Prakash), who then decides to find his parents? Nil, right? Well, that's the one-liner of Satya Prakash's latest film, X&Y.
A little before, Satya Prakash introduces the protagonist Kreede (Satya himself), a do-gooder who runs an auto ambulance. Satya Prakash, who mostly preferred being behind the camera as a director, is quite fun to watch in his maiden lead role. He portrays a free-spirited, kind-hearted man who doesn't mind a self-deprecating joke when a matchmaker insults his short stature by comparing it with Amitabh Bachchan.
X&Y (Kannada)
Direction: D Satya Prakash
Cast: D Satya Prakash, Brinda Acharya, Atharva Prakash, Sunder Veena
Runtime: 108 minutes
Storyline: An eager unborn soul, desperate to experience life, pleads with the Creator to send him to Earth. He must find his future parents and ensure their union
Humour keeps the first half alive. Kreede helps the needy reach the hospital on time, and in one scene, he manages to make a terminally-ill woman smile. Frustrated with her fate, she shouts at Satya to take her to a graveyard, only for him to demand an exorbitant price in a lighter vein, parodying the Bengaluru auto drivers.
The film has an interesting visual grammar. For instance, the sequence that introduces us to the film's female lead, Kripa (Brinda Acharya). Her wedding jewelry is replaced by chains and dumbbells, signifying the mental load of getting married against your wishes. For the most part, the film is delightfully light on its feet, with the vibrant visuals of a couple of songs enhancing the tone.
The unborn child, Jeeva, almost resembling a robot with feelings (like Chitti in Enthiran), decides that Kripa and Kreede will be his parents. Now, he needs to ensure they fall in love and end up together. Satya Prakash the filmmaker stumbles when he puts his film in this direction. We feel like watching two different movies, as the spotlight shifts from Kreede to Kripa, who develops a maternal bond with the innocent Jeeva.
During an argument, Kreede says he demanded respect from his father and blames Kripa for not speaking her mind with her mother. The scene reveals Satya's intentions with the film.
Satya Prakash takes a straightforward route to address these dynamics. From a visually appealing movie, X&Y becomes talky and preachy, as characters come and go just so that the director can stress his point.
ALSO READ:D Sathya Prakash talks about his latest film 'Man of the Match'
Satya Prakash has always dealt with themes that reflect society. Be it Rama Rama Re or Ondalla Eradalla, he portrayed relatable aspects of life, albeit in a subtle manner, when compared to the elementary narration of X&Y. That said, there are very few filmmakers like him, those who don't get bogged down by the demands of the market and believe in carving their own, unique filmography.
X&Y is currently running in theatres