Arishadvarga

<p>Set in present-day Bangalore, an aspiring actor doubling up as an amateur gigolo gets caught up in a sticky situation after accepting a surprise gift from an anonymous client. Anish is desperately trying to make it as an actor but his dire financial situation pushes him to look for an escape, which he finds with an anonymous wealthy client by name Manasaa. Called to her place one day for a rendezvous, he turns up only to be met with a surprise gift, ‘a murder’. The person who was murdered was a film producer and quarry owner, Manjunath Bhat. Based on his invite, aspiring girl Shruthi comes to his home for audition and she also ends up caught in sticky situation along with Anish. And both were ordered by a woman via VOIP call to dispose the body as soon as possible and a good-hearted petty thief cum auto-driver joins this club in the night when he comes to the murder house for pilferage who leads police to this murder house. Investigation is done by Ashok who is leading a boring life of being a single. He is supported by Rajanna on investigation. On investigation, he comes across Kruthi Bhat who is the second wife of deceased Manjunath and who has been living with him. She reveals the story of how they both ended up in love and marriage in spite of their age difference and how Manjunath’s age factor impacts her sexual life. She explains how Anish became common friend to both of them who was requested by Manjunath to help her wife getting pregnant in exchange of Anish getting hero role in Manjunath’s production. Though kruthi was not ready for this, she got convinced after Manjunath’s explanation. But, eventually, they both decide to ignore Anish as they could not fulfill Anish promise due to Manjunath’s business loss and that has led Anish to murder Manjunath. Ashok was almost convinced with this narrative from Kruthi till he comes across a character named Karthik who works for Manjunath. Karthik was introduced to Kruthi by Manjunath, and she started liking him. Manjunath’s sexual problem led her to get her needs satisfied by Karthik, and she becomes pregnant. In the meantime, Manjunath and Kartik’s relationship fell off and on knowing that Kruthi is pregnant, he wants to make money out of her by threatening her with her intimate video. Manjunath learns of this and in the ensuing quarrel between him and Kruthi, she ends up in killing him. Then she hatches up a plan to make Anish as murderer by inviting him over call, whose number was given by a high-end pimp, to come to her house for his service. Ashok who got to know that Karthik and Kruthi had illicit relationship plans to make use of this situation for his advantage. He murders Karthik in a quarry and settles in Kruthi’s home and enjoys his new life. Movie ends with Ashok getting a call from Maanasa, who seems to be the first wife of Manjunath and settled in foreign, leaving it open ended for a sequel. The music is composed by Udit Haritas (“Agnata”) and this is his first feature film. The film opened up to positive reviews at the London Indian Film Festival. On the website , 83% of 6 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. Josh Hurtado of stated, “Arishadvarga is a Labyrinthine Thriller Full of Surprises”. of wrote, “With Nathicharami and now this, Kannada cinema seems to have leapfrogged over other industries in terms of bridging the gap between (relatively) older women and lust.”</p>