Hidimba movie review: A daring subject that comes undone by its conclusion

The film is pacy as new twists are introduced at regular intervals. The ‘kala banda area’ sequence holds the first half well, though it strongly reminds of the color palette of KGF. The sequence where the lead comes up with a strategy to trap the kidnappers using red color works well. Tightly edited scenes before the interval maintain the tempo, with the background score also sustaining the mood.

The film goes into unexplored territory after the interval, but the patchy non-linear narrative and unclear connections with the present story somewhat hamper the overall experience. The excessive violence on screen will definitely repulse many sections of the audience. The final twist is unexpected but not backed by sound reasoning, resulting in an unsatisfactory ending. The ingenuity the writer-director has shown in choosing the subject is completely lost because of the way it is concluded.

Lead pair Ashwin Babu and Nandhita Shwetha have done a nice job. Ashwin impresses with his screen presence. Makrand Deshpande looks menacing, and Raghu Kunche, Shubhalekha Sudhakar, Rajiv Kanakala also deliver.

Writer-director Anil Kanneganti has boldly chosen a subject that has been rarely explored on Indian screen. With little more work, he could have given the film a more relevant conclusion, elevating the film to the level of the lofty subject he has chosen. What could have become an edgy commentary on colonialism and India’s own dark history is dumbed down for the sake of silly commercial and box office requirements.

Hidimba movie cast: Ashwin Babu, Nandhita Shwetha, Shubhalekha Sudhakar, Raghu Kunche, Shiju, Rajiv Kanakala, Srinivas Reddy
Hidimba movie director: Anil Kanneganti
Hidimba movie rating: 2 stars