''Suli'' (''The Whirlpool'') is a 2016 Indian Kannada film written and directed by
P. H. Vishwanath
P. H. Vishwanath ( kn, ಪಿ. ಎಚ್. ವಿಶ್ವನಾಥ್) is an Indian film director, writer and a producer who works in Kannada cinema. Apart from films, Vishwanath has directed several documentaries and tele-series. He started hi ...
, and produced by Geetha Srinath and T. S. Sathyanarayan. It stars
Srinath
Narayana Swamy (born 28 December 1944), known by his stage name Srinath, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He holds the position of vice-president of the Kannada television channel Udaya TV. He is ...
and
Pragati Soorve in the lead roles. The supporting cast features Jayaram Neenasam, Chennakeshava, Susheelamma, Rahul Sreenivasan, Adhvithi Shetty and Ashvithi Shetty. Vishwanath revealed that Budensabi, the character portrayed by Srinath, is inspired from an article about a village on top of the hill in
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Uttara Kannada District is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and currently holding the title of the largest district in Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Bel ...
, where a saintly person transports materials needed for daily life on donkeys.
Cast
*
Srinath
Narayana Swamy (born 28 December 1944), known by his stage name Srinath, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He holds the position of vice-president of the Kannada television channel Udaya TV. He is ...
as Budensab
*
Pragati Soorve as Shabana
* Jayaram Neenasam as Wasim
* Chennakeshava as Mathadayya
* Susheelamma as Saira
* Adhvithi Shetty as Saleena
* Ashvithi Shetty as Sadiya
* Rahul Sreenivasan as Aazim
* Harsha Nalwad as Inayat
Production
The developments of the film were revealed on the media only later into filming, in May 2016, when ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
'' carrying a report that
Srinath
Narayana Swamy (born 28 December 1944), known by his stage name Srinath, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He holds the position of vice-president of the Kannada television channel Udaya TV. He is ...
would be appearing in the lead role in the film. Speaking of his character, Vishwanath said, "Srinath plays a Muslim man for the first time in his career. He plays a simple family man living in a remote village, surrounded by people from different religious backgrounds." Requiring the former to sport beard for his role, the filming which was supposed to commence in October 2015 was delayed.
Pragati A S, a radio jockey, was signed to play the female protagonist. She was chosen after a round of auditions, which she was told to by her college professor. In preparation for her role as a speech-impaired daughter of Srinath's character, she was made to go through a "15-day workshop ..., during which
hespent time with a Muslim family to observe the way they interacted with each other, and, most importantly, prayed." Adhvithi and Ashwithi Shetty, who had previously appeared ''
Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari
''Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari'' is a 2014 Cinema of India, Indian Kannada cinema, Kannada Romantic drama film, romantic drama film written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram and produced by the duo Jayanna and Bhogendra under the banner Jayanna Combi ...
'' (2014), were cast to play the second and third daughters of Srinath's character.
Soundtrack
S. P. Venkatesh
S. P. Venkatesh (also credited as Sangeetharajan; born 5 March 1955) is an Indian music director and composer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He was at his prime in the late 80s and 90s, being reputed for his background scores and song ...
composed the film's music and the soundtrack, lyrics for which were penned by Na Damodara Shetty and Srichandru. The soundtrack album consists of five tracks.
Reception
Upon theatrical release, the film received positive reviews from critics. Shashidhara, reviewing for ''
Vijaya Karnataka
''Vijaya Karnataka'' is a Kannada newspaper published from a number of cities in Karnataka. The newspaper is published from Bengaluru, Hubballi, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi, Gangavathi, Belagavi, Davanagere, Hassan, Chitradurga. It wa ...
'' felt that the message conveyed by the protagonist in the film is that the welfare of the society is of paramount importance than anything else. He wrote praises of Srinath's performance and felt that its he who "carries the film on his shoulders" and commended the performance of
Pragati A S as well. He concluded crediting the roles of the music including the "timely tracks", cinematography and the film's direction.
References
External links
*
* {{Official website, http://sulithemovie.com/
2016 films
Indian drama films
2010s Kannada-language films