Rakshit Shetty's '777 Charlie' review: Pet lovers, don't miss this!
What's the story
Director Kiranraj K made his feature film debut with the Kannada film 777 Charlie and has carved a solid entry by making a twee tearjerker.
If you are a fan of feel-good movies and are fond of pets, this film will tug at your heartstrings.
Though it stars Rakshit Shetty in the lead, the film's original protagonist is Charlie the dog.
Here's our review.
Story
What is '777 Charlie' all about?
As in most films of this genre, the plot of 777 Charlie is simple.
A dog, who has suffered through a problematic life, finds her companion in Shetty's Dharma.
She is despised in the beginning but steals her master's heart eventually.
What happens when the master comes to know a heart-breaking truth about Charlie makes up for the rest of the story.
Narrative
Narrative is slow, but powerful characterization makes up for it
There's an old-school charm in almost all characters of the film.
The kids speak in adorable tones. The old couple is selfless and showers unconditional love and the bad guy has scary body tattoos.
So, there won't be any surprise when the character shades are revealed, which eventually makes the narrative a little draggy.
But it has largely worked for the film.
Lead actor
Dharma's character makes us fall in love with Shetty
In the beginning, Dharma appears as a rough youth who doesn't care about anything.
Haunted by a tragic past, he fights depression.
But Charlie introduces him to a new world of love after which he starts to act empathetic.
Shetty has charmingly slipped into the shoes of Dharma and scores brownie points all the way for making us connect with the character.
Details
'777 Charlie' has best of intentions, proper execution
The house of Dharma is also as much a character as any other.
With the dirty drapes, broken furniture, and an age-old television, the house conveys Dharma lived in his past trauma before Charlie entered his life.
These simple moments make 777 Charlie a winner even without a big budget or stunning VFX and by just having its heart in the right place.
Special mention
Charlie makes you want to give her tight hug
The star of the film, of course, is Charlie.
Every time she appeared on screen, I found myself gasping at her astonishingly expressive eyes beautifully captured by a loving camera.
Charlie yelps, leaps, and even teaches the villain a lesson.
But the most heartwarming scene comes toward the climax when Charlie embraces Dharma by answering his question, "Do you love me, Charlie?"
Verdict
Pet lover or not, watch '777 Charlie' in theaters
Bobby Simha makes a breezy cameo appearance and takes the limelight during his portions.
If you are a dog lover, 777 Charlie is a film you should not miss.
It's not like the film is free of faults, but one can ignore them.
Its highlight is a man's unconditional love for his dog. And, that is good enough.
We are going with 4/5 stars.