Title – DAIVA, Banner – Kalpavruksha Creations, Producer – Smt Jayamma Padmaraj, Written and Directed by – MJ, Cinematography – Siddarth HR, Music – Vijeth Manjaiah, Cast – MJ Jayaraaj, Surabhi, Neethu Rai, Nischita Shetty, Bala Rajwadi, Arun Bachchan, Manjuraj Surya (VCN Manju), Meese Murthy, Lakshman and others
Education is very important for a director in assessing various fields of activity. Armed with an engineering qualification and working as a professor, Jayaraaj has made an admirable debut as a director. As an actor too, he performs well in his debut before the camera. Producing the film with the investment of his mother, Smt Jayamma Padmaraj, he has also touched upon the significance of education in the film.
Imagine the hero of the film Daiva appearing before the audience in the first half as an antagonist and later switching sides to stand for the people of his village, becoming a pillar of strength to face his former master — this is not an ordinary thought. Jayaraaj has crafted a pretty good screenplay, with three heroines in love with him and two main troublemakers, Kaale Gowda and Rudra. The different narration keeps the audience guessing throughout the 132 minutes.
Deva (Jayaraaj) works for Kaale Gowda (Bala Rajwadi) and Rudra (Arun Bachchan). The village is under their control, and Deva is a key supporter of all their nefarious activities. The villagers are afraid of their atrocities. However, just before the interval, Deva stands up for the villagers. He declares, “Inmele Bhumi Nammade,” bringing great joy to the frightened villagers.
Before Deva faces a brutal attack from Kaale Gowda and Rudra, he encounters three heroines — Srushti (Surabhi), the daughter of Kaale Gowda; Moulya (Nischita Shetty), a doctor; and his relative’s daughter, Neelu (Neethu Rai). What happens to Deva when the villains try to finish him off? That is something you must watch on the silver screen — along with the bonus suspense of why he chose to work for Kaale Gowda in the first place.
In acting, Jayaraaj is cool and composed. He scores even more as a director. In fierce action sequences, he is tough and convincing. Neethu Rai’s innocence stands out, Srushti looks beautiful, and Nischita Shetty does a good job. Bala Rajwadi as Kaale Gowda and Arun Bachchan as Rudra draw major attention — both deliver strong performances. The actor playing the cop has a promising future.
The songs “Ravanasura…”, “Akasha Nodada Kaiyunta Jagadalli…”, and “Muddu Nanna Huduga…” have come out well under music director Vijeth Manjaiah. The background score is also appealing. Cinematographer Siddarth has delivered admirable shots, especially in pitch-dark sequences. The editing is fast and engaging.
The catchline of the film Daiva is: “Savu Inta Divasa Aadru, Aramaneli Idru Barthade” — which also gives a clue to the climax of the film.
