At first glance, Inflated looks like a family drama with an illegal relationship. Bharat plays Kartik, who runs a tea factory and has little time for his wife Madhu (Aparna Vinod). He hires a teacher (Aruvi Bala), a relative, to work and stay at home. Guru witnesses Madhu’s affair with Shiva (Gokul Anand), Kartik’s friend and partner.
Will Guru Kartik tell you about this affair? Will Shiva be able to get rid of Guru then?
These questions drive the first half of the film. We were expecting highlights from this explosive scenario. Mainly when the opening scene includes murder and Kartik. Announces that he is planning to kill someone. But what we get is a more docile scene that feels repetitive.
Director Sharan Kumar wants us to take this material seriously and try to break the events. Into chapters and voice how behind every mask there is a face and a story behind every face to make us believe. That there is something else in the film. Touch the eye.
You may also read “Dilli Kaand” Review: The Damn Hamster That Doesn’t Justify the Nirbaya Story
But sadly, such a trick only reeks of swagger when you consider how meaningless the scene is. This film should be a completely different genre film to fill us in. We get a subplot with the teacher and his friends at the factory, which suddenly becomes the main plot. And we land in home thriller territory as Kartik is portrayed. As a victim of being betrayed by everyone he loves.
Guru discovers the secret of Shiva and Madhu’s affair. Threatened and feared by Shiva, he turns to drink. And goes further into the trouble of becoming a refuge for explosive situations. The way it unfolds makes up the rest of the film.
Shot with style, with sufficient attention to music and production design:
This film has particular potential. The problem lies in the way the story is told. The story of Sharang contains elements of sensation, diversion, and metaphor. They are just not used correctly or at the right time.
This film takes time to build the plot and build the characters. There are too many unnecessary sequences that reduce plot movement to ultimate speed. The twists and turns of the characters are sometimes too random and confusing. Even the surprise at the end comes without rhyme or reason and denies the audience’s cathartic feeling.
Sharang started her film as a thriller before turning it into a moral drama. This change of perspective comes with a few caveats.
The character has no depth or development. Bharat was named as the film’s pseudo-leading actor. Underestimating his role at the start, he slowly enters the channel. Only to switch to commercial hero mode towards the end. It robbed him of his serious character.
Gokul Anand plays the bad guy and often plays with his hands.
His affair with Aparna Vinod’s Madhu is at the root of the film’s problems. However, both artists are less interested in their appearance on screen, perhaps a sign of their minor character. There are other actors like Yogi Joey.
You may also read Sunny Review: The loneliness and isolation in the world after the post-pandemic phase
The only character who gives off a sense of mystery and sometimes confusion is the teacher. Aruvi Bala is very kind as the young man is in an unreachable situation. But this character also disappears from interest towards the end.
Fortunately, this film feels interesting after being such a thriller. However, they wish the director had taken more time to recreate the failed relationship between Kartik and Madhu. And his parallels with the teacher to let us feel the emotional impact. The characters would have in such a scenario. The show isn’t strong enough to handle this character either. Only Gokul Anand seems to enjoy the role of stubborn Shiva.