Lucia (film)
| Lucia | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pawan Kumar |
| Written by | Pawan Kumar |
| Produced by | Audience films Home Talkies |
| Starring | Sathish Ninasam Sruthi Hariharan Achyuth Kumar |
| Cinematography | Siddhartha Nuni |
| Edited by | Sanath–Suresh Pawan Kumar |
| Music by | Poornachandra Tejaswi Monish Kumar M. K. Santhosh Narayanan |
Production company | Audience films |
| Distributed by | Home Talkies |
Release dates |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada |
| Budget | ₹50 lakh (US$52,000)[1] |
| Box office | ₹3.06 crore (US$320,000) [2] |
Lucia is a 2013 Indian Kannada-language psychological thriller drama film written, co-edited and directed by Pawan Kumar.[3] It stars Sathish Ninasam in a double role as Nikki and Nikhil.[4]
The plot revolves around Nikki, an usher in theatre who has insomnia. After consuming a special pill, he gets entangled in a different kind of a dream.
Lucia was the first Kannada film to be crowdfunded by the people. The soundtrack was composed by Poornachandra Tejaswi and cinematography was handled by Siddhartha Nuni. It was premiered at the London Indian Film Festival on 20 July 2013.[5][6] It won the Best Film Audience Choice award at the festival.[7] It was also among the films shortlisted by the FFI to become India's submission for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the year 2013.
The film was remade in Tamil as Enakkul Oruvan in 2015. The movie was credited for inspiring a new wave in the Kannada film industry.[8]
Plot
[edit]The film follows two versions of the same man: Nikki in reality and Nikhil in dreams. It opens with the protagonist (Sathish Ninasam) in a coma, kept alive on life support. The narrative alternates between two parallel stories — one in colour and the other in black and white. Detective Sanjay of the Mumbai Crime Branch investigates the incident that led to the protagonist’s condition. While examining his belongings, he discovers cryptic notes and a mysterious pill. At the same time, police interrogate two suspects connected to the case.
In reality, Nikki works as an usher, or “torch-shiner”, at a Bengaluru cinema owned by Shankranna (Achyuth Kumar). Suffering from insomnia and loneliness, Nikki obtains Lucia pills from a drug dealer. The pills allow users to dream of the life they desire, but stopping them turns those dreams into nightmares.
After taking the pills, Nikki dreams of being Nikhil, a successful film actor surrounded by dream-world versions of people from his real life. Nikhil’s story is shown in black and white. Nikki falls in love with Shwetha (Sruthi Hariharan), who appears as a waitress in reality and a model in the dream world.
In reality, Shankranna is threatened by gangsters demanding ownership of his theatre over an old debt. Nikki struggles to win Shwetha’s affection; she initially rejects him because of his low income but later falls for his sincerity. Her efforts to improve his life fail, and Shankranna is eventually killed by the gangsters. Refusing to abandon the theatre, Nikki restores it and releases Shankranna’s long-forgotten film. He later reconciles with Shwetha, who agrees to marry him.
In the dream world, Nikhil’s relationship with Shwetha deteriorates because of her work in the film industry. After rescuing Shankranna from kidnappers, Nikhil dismisses him for his own safety, isolates himself, and begins losing his grip on reality. In a trashed room, he shines a torch on the walls and sees scenes from Nikki’s life projected around him.
As events unfold, Shwetha becomes overwhelmed by fame and finally understands Nikhil’s unhappiness. Nikhil admits he can no longer distinguish dreams from reality, but says he is content regardless. He then jumps from a rooftop, shocking everyone present, including a contract killer waiting to murder him.
Meanwhile, Sanjay traces the drug dealer and learns more about the Lucia pills. Shwetha is arrested after attempting to disconnect Nikhil’s life support. During questioning, the investigators watch an old interview in which Nikhil reveals he is colour-blind due to a childhood accident and dreams of living as an ordinary “torch-shiner” in love with a simple woman. It is also revealed that both Nikki and Nikhil suffered from insomnia and took the Lucia pills.
Sanjay concludes that Nikhil chose to remain in his dream world by attempting suicide. To awaken him, Sanjay recreates the dream’s final moments and pretends to shoot the comatose Nikhil with an empty gun. Simultaneously, dream-world Nikhil is shot in the head as his surroundings disappear. The protagonist awakens from the coma, revealing that Nikhil is the real person, while Nikki was part of his lucid dream.
In the ending scene, Nikhil, Shwetha, and Shankranna — alive in reality — happily run an old cinema together, fulfilling Nikhil’s dream of living an ordinary life.
Cast
[edit]- Sathish Ninasam in a double role as
- Nikki
- Nikhil
- Sruthi Hariharan as Shwetha
- Achyuth Kumar as Shankranna
- Balaji Manohar as a drug dealer
- Hardika Shetty as Kamini
- Bharath
- Satish Kumar
- Sanjay as Sanjay (Mumbai police)
- Rishab Shetty as a police inspector
- Krishna as Deepak (Crime branch officer)
- Aaryan Achukatla as Aryan (second lead/model)
- Poornachandra Mysore as a drug peddler
- Ram Manjjonaath as a lawyer
- Prashanth Siddi as a suspect
- Pia
- Gaurish Akki[9]
Production
[edit]In December 2011 Pawan Kumar announced on the Web that his next project, after the success of his directorial debut film Lifeu Ishtene, was going to be Lucia. For the next two months, he met quite a few producers and top actors and found it difficult to fund his film. That led Pawan Kumar to write a post titled Making Enemies on his blog. Three days after it was published, the response was so overwhelming that he decided to pitch the idea of inviting people to produce the film and Pawan Kumar initiated Project Lucia. Aditya Vikram Thoomati was crucial in making the bandwagon work. Fellow writer to Pawan, a newbie to Kannada cinema, Sai Prasad did his writing expertise through it.[10][11] Lucia is notable for its use of crowdfunding. It was funded by 110 investors who contributed to the project through a Facebook page and a blog run by director-actor Pawan Kumar. It was the first Kannada movie to bypass the traditional film financing model.[12] The director initially offered the lead role to model turned actor Diganth but he was later replaced by Sathish Ninasam, who has played supporting roles in many Kannada films.[13] Lucia was made at a budget of ₹50 lakh (US$52,000).[1] Kannada language television channel Udaya TV bought the satellite rights of the film for ₹0.95 crore (US$99,000).[14] Actor Sathish Ninasam along with the music director Poornachandra Tejaswi visited colleges in Davangere to promote Lucia.[15]
Soundtrack
[edit]| Lucia | |
|---|---|
 Soundtrack cover | |
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 10 June 2013 |
| Recorded | 2012–13 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 27:40 |
| Label | Anand Audio |
| Producer | Valerie |
The music for the film and soundtracks were composed by debutant Poornachandra Tejaswi, and background score composed by Poornachandra Tejaswi, Monish Kumar M.K. and Santhosh Narayanan. The lyrics were penned by Poornachandra Tejaswi, Yogaraj Bhat and Raghu Shastri.[16] The album has seven tracks.[17]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thinbedakami 1" | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Poornachandra Tejaswi, Arun M. C., Bappi Blossom | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Nee Thoreda Galigeyali" | Raghu Shastri | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Udith Haritas, Ananya Bhat | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Jamma Jamma" | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Naveen Sajju | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Yako Barlilla" | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Naveen Sajju | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Helu Shiva" | Yogaraj Bhat | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Naveen Sajju, Yogaraj Bhat, Rakshith Nagarle | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Jamma Jamma Patho" | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Naveen Sajju | 3:03 |
| 7. | "Thinbedakami 2" | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Poornachandra Tejaswi | Sangeetha Rajeev, Nithin Acharya, Sparsha R. K. | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 27:40 | ||||
Release
[edit]The trailer of Lucia was released in February 2013, with the film releasing on 6 September 2013.[18] PVR released the film on 6 September 2013 under their "Director’s Rare" category all over India. It was released across Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Delhi with English subtitles.[19] Lucia was also set to be released in Pakistan.[20][21]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Times of India |   [22] |
| Wogma |  [23] |
| Deccan Herald | [24] |
The critics praised the film.[25] Anurag Kashyap tweeted "My birthday gift to myself would be lucia...".[26] Actor Siddharth was "blown away" after watching the movie. He immediately called the director Pawan Kumar and praised him. Lucia was also in the race for India's official entry to the Oscars.[27]
The movie received positive reviews from critics. Well-known critic Baradwaj Rangan remarked, "An entertaining new Kannada film pushes the envelope even as it pays homage to the old way of doing things".[28] Bookmyshow website said it is a landmark film for Indian cinema.[29] Tribune praised the film story.[30] Baradwaj Rangan writing for The Hindu stated that Lucia is a new type of Kannada film calling it "An entertaining new Kannada film pushes the envelope even as it pays homage to the old way of doing things".[31][32]
Box office
[edit]Lucia earned ₹0.95 crore (US$99,000) in satellite rights and ₹3.06 crore (US$320,000) in ticket sales through its entire run in cinemas, far surpassing its production budget of around ₹0.50 crore (US$52,000). Lucia was also released by PVR Pictures in some cinemas outside Karnataka, fetching around ₹8 lakh (US$8,300) from 13 screens in the first three days.
Influences and cultural references
[edit]Director Pawan Kumar admitted to have taken influence from Christopher Nolan and David Lynch.[33] The dream and real sequences being shot in monochrome and in color to differentiate between the two stories, like the Memento and Open Your Eyes to alternate between two plot-lines. The movie's relation with dream and reality and the interrelation between the two. There is also a scene where Nolan's movie Following is seen playing on a TV screen. Requiem for a Dream is also seen playing on a TV in the same scene which is also an influence as the movie deals with addiction.[34] Apart from the cinematic influences, the theme of dream and illusion is also shown as an influence of the poem Nee Mayeyolago by Kanaka Dasa which is quoted at the beginning of the movie. The poem is also partially contained in the lyrics of the song Nee Toreda Galigeyali in the soundtrack.
Awards
[edit]- Best Director — Pawan Kumar
- Best Supporting Actor — Achyuth Kumar
- Best Male Playback Singer — Poornachandra Tejaswi – "Thinbedakammi"
- Karnataka International Music Awards
- Best Background Score — Poornachandra Tejaswi, Monish Kumar M. K., Santhosh Narayanan
- Best Cinematographer — Siddhartha Nuni (Nominated)
- Best Director - Pawan Kumar
Home media
[edit]The film was released in Blu-ray, HD DVD, DVD 5.1, VCD Version From Anand Video Studio. It is the first Kannada film to be released in Blu-ray. The director, an advocate of alternative distribution strategies for indie filmmakers, said, "It’s time to set up your own virtual movie theaters on the World Wide Web which will be open 24×7 across the globe."[39]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Khajane, Muralidhara (19 April 2015). "Lucia goes to Pakistan". The Hindu. thehindu.com. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- ^ Shekhar, Divya. "Actor-director Rakshit Shetty feels the challenge ahead is to keep the audience occupied". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Crowd-funding show gains pace with Kannada movie Lucia, over 100 people invest through Facebook & blog". The Economic Times. 13 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
- ^ Sruthi gets busy – The Times of India
- ^ "Lucia to premiere at LIFF". The Indian Express. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Indian Film Festival 2013 – London". britishsouthindians. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Crowd-funded 'Lucia' wins smash hit 4th edition of LIFF". London Indian Film Festival. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Best Kannada Thrillers from Different Eras Now Available on OTT". 24 September 2020.
- ^ "ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಕೈಗೆ ಲಾಂಗು!". Kannadaprabha.
- ^ "Swimming Against TheTide : Postnoon". Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ Project Lucia | Pawan Kumar
- ^ Gen Y filmmakers home in on crowdfunding
- ^ Satish replaces Diganth in Kannada film 'Lucia'
- ^ Kannada indie Lucia collects 56 lakhs in its opening weekend | DearCinema.com
- ^ Satish promotes Lucia in Davangere – The Times of India
- ^ "Lucia (2013) songs". raaga.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ "Lucia (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ Lucia trailer released – The Times of India
- ^ Kannada film Lucia to have a nationwide release - Rediff.com Movies
- ^ Pawan Kumar's Kannada film 'Lucia' to be released in Pakistan - IBNLive
- ^ Lucia to be released in Pakistan? - The Times of India
- ^ Lucia movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India
- ^ Lucia – Review
- ^ It's all in the mind
- ^ Anurag Kashyap tweets about Lucia – The Times of India
- ^ "Twitter / Ankash1009: My birthday gift to myself". Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ Kannada films for the Oscars? - The Times of India
- ^ Stranger than fiction
- ^ Lucia: Film Review
- ^ Movie review: Lucia – a pill worth a debate – The Express Tribune
- ^ Stranger than fiction – The Hindu
- ^ A Shift in Alt Cinema – Indian Express
- ^ "Chasing new frontiers". The Hindu.
- ^ "Lucia (2013) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "61st Idea South Filmfare Awards". Indiasnaps.com. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
- ^ Kannada film Lucia wins at London Indian Film Festival – Hindustan Times
- ^ PTI (29 July 2013). "Kannada film Lucia wins at London Indian Film Festival". TheHindustan Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "And-the-SIIMA-Awards-go-to". The Times of India. timesofindia. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ Kumar, Pawan (7 August 2014). "Indie filmmakers need to think beyond the Big Screen, says Pawan Kumar". Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
External links
[edit]- 2013 films
- 2013 Kannada-language films
- 2013 Indian films
- Indian independent films
- Crowdfunded films
- Kannada films remade in other languages
- Indian psychological thriller films
- Films about dreams
- Indian nonlinear narrative films
- Films about actors
- Indian avant-garde and experimental films
- 2010s avant-garde and experimental films