Prithvi (ಪೃಥ್ವಿ)

Prithvi (ಪೃಥ್ವಿ), a 2010 Kannada movie, brings together my current favorite on-screen pair: Puneeth Rajkumar and Parvathi Menon. I loved their chemistry in Milana and was eager for more. The illegal mining happening in Bellary district of Karnataka is the topic of this movie. That also explains the title, Prithvi is a Sanskrit word meaning earth. Prithvi (Puneeth) is a new IAS officer who is posted to Bellary district soon after his marriage to Parvathi. Dust, dryness and disease pervades Bellary. On a visit to the district hospital that is choking with asthma patients, Prithvi discovers that the air and water in the region is completely polluted due to mining. Following that lead, he discovers that the mining companies are operating in the district paying no heed to regulations of any kind. When he tries to control the mining, he discovers how the mining barons control all the politicians right up to the state ministry. With sensationalistic TV channels turned onto him and his wife expecting a baby, he finds himself between a rock and a hard place.

Directed by Jacob Varghese, Prithvi could not have been any more pertinent! The Reddy brothers mining mafia that is raping Bellary and pulling the strings of the BJP government in Karnataka right now is depicted well. As you can expect, one IAS officer cannot end corruption of this scale and thankfully the movie does not offer such a solution. The script is well written, the movie is fast paced and there is not a single boring moment. Puneeth and Parvathi have acted well, Puneeth is really starting to show his chops in non-action roles. The music by Manikanth Kadri is pleasing, the songs Haagella Nee Nodabeda, Hejjegondu and Ninagende Viseshaa are still on my playlist. All in all, Prithvi is an excellent movie that should not be missed.