It takes guts for a director to portray the developments of the film industry. In addition, Ashvin Mathew has created a striking “thunder in the forest” segment of the film, and he is certainly a wonder to watch for the future!
With a title like ‘3Devi,’ director Ashvin Mathew embarks on a journey of three parallel stories. The trio of Shubha Punja, Jyotsna, and Sandhya is one of the film’s highlights.
The film boasts a good background score and songs told in ‘Kanda Padya’ style, which add a remarkable quality to the film. While ‘3Devi’ obviously refers to divine content, director Ashvin Mathew excels in his screenplay, strongly supported by both the artists and the technical team.
‘3Devi’ begins with the curse of a tigress in a forest that houses the deity Masthamma. However, the three main stories converge in this forest area only towards the film’s end.
In Track 1, actress Vijayalakshmi (Shuba Punja), Maria (Sandhya), who runs away from her marriage, and Sharanya (Jyotsna), a film crew member, travel together away from the chaos of their lives. Following Vijayalakshmi are the film’s producer Jaydev and his assistant Aman. In another subplot, a hunter arrives in the forest to create havoc. When the hunter realizes that the trio has witnessed his misdeeds, he pursues them, leading to several tense moments. Eventually, the trio has to confront the hunter. Frightened and disturbed, the trio finds protection in the producer Jaydev.
The director’s comedic touch is impeccable. Jaydev’s storyline reflects the cinema industry, showcasing the challenges producers face today. Shuba Punja’s character directly addresses some of the industry’s issues, demonstrating considerable boldness.
The Kannada song ‘Guru Gurukula…’ impressed the Canadian government, and ‘3Devi’ traveled to various film festivals for its multifaceted narrative. Madhuri Sridhar’s ‘Jenu Kannada’ voice is particularly apt.
Ashvin Mathew, a theater personality and comedy actor, makes his directorial debut and earns accolades at national and international levels. He also produced ‘3Devi’ under the Altered Ego banner. Dheerendra Das and Fidel Ashok composed the music.
Shubha Punja’s performance reflects the career struggles of female artists in the cinema industry. Sandhya’s portrayal of Maria, a wealthy girl, is commendable, and Jyotsna B. Rao is outstanding in her serene and action-packed scenes as a transgender character.
Jayadev Mohan, Aman, Ashwin Kakumanu, Nikhil Bharadwaj, Freya Kothari, and others are also part of the cast, but Jaydev stands out as the producer, boldly depicting the current status of producers in the cinema industry.
The cinematography of ‘3Devi’ is another strong point. Kunjunni S. Kumar’s ability to capture the deep forest areas with dark shades is impressive.
Regarding the editing by Sunni Sawrav, a few portions could have been trimmed to improve the pacing of the first half.
