We all need a story every now and then to help us believe in love and redemption. A fresh narrative that will soothe our feelings of unease and estrangement, which have grown ingrained in a society that places an excessive focus on money and social achievement and fosters a deep mistrust and suspicion of others. I'm happy to say that one such tale is the most recent film by Paramvah Studios, 777 Charlie, which stars Charlie the dog and Rakshit Shetty and was written and directed by Kiranraj K, a debutant. It's also the first Kannada film ever to include a dog in the main role. Rakshit Shetty's character Dharma works in a car plant and lives a solitary existence in Mysuru due to a personal loss he suffered as a childHe is determined to go through the motions with a defined pattern that includes his job, two idlis, booze, and smokes. He has created barriers around himself. But Charlie, a Labrador puppy who fled the care of a cruel breeder (a reference to the 1992 movie Beethoven) and is attempting to make a living on the streets, disturbs Dharma's dull existence. After Charlie has a strange accident that compels Dharma to take her in, a sequence of events take place, including Dharma's futile attempts to place Charlie for adoption, which end with him discovering Charlie's undying love for him. Dharma starts to come to life through Charlie's love. They quickly bond to form an unbreakable pair. This fleeting camaraderie encounters a fresh obstacleCharlie's deadly Hemangiosarcoma is identified. As soon as Dharma realizes that Charlie is running out of time, they ride their motorcycles across the nation together to grant Charlie's request to play with snow. This leads to an intensely emotional roller coaster ride that is sure to make viewers laugh and cry in equal measure. The audience will undoubtedly enjoy going on this emotional journey with Dharma and Charlie, but some may think it goes on for too long. The movie's first part concentrates on strengthening their relationship and employs the tried-and-true plot devices of a humorous veterinarian (Raj B Shetty) with a strong Mangalorean accent, Charlie changinga cute little neighborhood girl who is in love with the dog, and his mischievous escapades to generate interesting sequences. Charlie Chaplin's films and other dog movies like "101 Dalmatians" are referenced multiple times in the mise-en-scene of Dharma's house. At one point, "A Dog's Life" is playing on TV, while at another, the climactic speech from "The Great Dictator" can be heard. The first half of the film, while excellently written and executed, was spoiled for me by needless attempts to portray sophistication through action sequences, sound design, and editing. On the other hand, the technical components of the road movie, like the second half, come together, but the narrative suffers from the needlessly lengthy digressions like the Devika-Dharmaexperience that sounded like a rushed attempt to produce a romantic song. There was a lot to be desired from the characters of Vamsi (Bobby Simha) and Devika (Sangeetha Sringeri). The second half suddenly tries to go beyond the mundane into the spiritual about the halfway point, with references to Dharmaraya and temples and monasteries. Thus, the climax—which takes place in a little temple scattered throughout the otherwise desolate, snow-covered landscape—is meant to mark the end of Dharma's path of atonement.In the initial part of the film, Rakshit Shetty is excellent as the gruff and soulless Dharma, but he struggles a bit in the emotional scenes, particularly the snowy mountain finale scene. As the Vet, Raj B Shetty is a humorous, if clichéd, character. (A particular thank you to his awesome dog-themed clothes). Charlie, though, is without a doubt the movie's protagonist; she commands attention and makes it impossible to look away from the screen when it's on her.
