Su From So - A Social set to Loony Tunes

Su From So

Kannada - Comedy / Drama

132 mins

JioHotstar

Prologue

Comedy is criminally underrated, so difficult to create for cinema. It must be such a challenge to sustain such situations over the full duration of a film, unlike the typical 10-minute gag tracks we grew up watching in our movies. The real test is keeping an audience engaged while characters react to a plot (and not just isolated situations), without letting it get tiresome, repetitive, or boring.

The Review

Su From So is a comedy centered on how an entire village reacts when a young man is possessed by the spirit of a woman.

The first twenty minutes play out much like the slice-of-life Malayalam films we have become accustomed to — showing us the “day to day.” In a coastal town in Dakshina Kannada, a death occurs and everyone gathers for the ceremony and the feast that follows.

A host of characters are introduced (take a bit of time to register them all), but Ravi Anna (Shaneel Gautham) immediately catches your attention. Ravi Anna is the self-proclaimed “know-it-all” and leader of the village. His mean looks and swagger belie a calm presence, a good heart and an ability to “handle” situations with ease.

Soon, a wedding follows, more drinks flow, and with it more characters and hilarity ensues. There is  “Bhava” — the perennially drunk, good-for-nothing brother-in-law, who even brings along his own soundtrack (which, fun fact, was a big help with social media engagement). One night, however, something happens and a young man, Ashoka (J. P. Thuminad), becomes possessed.

To the shock of the villagers, even the reliable Ravi Anna fails to resolve the situation. Swallowing his pride, he calls in Karunakara Guruji (Raj B. Shetty) — a charlatan, of course. Guruji proclaims that the spirit of Sulochana, from the neighboring village of Someshwara, now resides in Ashoka. Hence the title: Su from So.

Who is Sulochana? Why is Ashoka her target? Does Guruji succeed in his exorcism, or does Ravi Anna find another way? That is the rest of the film.

The movie is goofy, whacky and for the most part the gags land (NQ, refer prologue). Often, it channels the spirit of 1980s rural dramas and comedies. Just when the narrative threatens to lose steam, the writer and director in J. P. Thuminad elevates it beautifully, weaving in a difficult but important social message without shifting the tone — much like Stree (and to some extent Stree 2, although it was overlong and tiresome).

The supporting actors are cool: Prakash Thuminad (Mithya’s foster father), Ramesha, and Satisha all make their presence felt. Shaneel Gautham turns Ravi Anna into such an adorable bear of a man that you just want to hug. Raj B. Shetty is superb — his very getup (inspired by a real-life personality) and mannerisms are enough to make you giggle.

The lyrics and songs are hilarious (listen carefully) — truly “Looney Tunes” in spirit.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Su From So. It mostly lives up to all the social media hype. J. P. Thuminad may be only okay as Ashoka, but he is the real star here thanks to his writing and direction. Super!

Epilogue

Comedy always depends on context. What is funny to me may not be to someone else. Milieu and nativity are critical. One can only fully enjoy a film like Su From So if there is relatability — feeding spirits, the finger-shaped boti, the “slang”uage, the accents, the committees et al. These small but vital cultural details add to both credibility and humor and hence require a reasonably good Nativity Quotient (NQ)

Please do not attempt this movie in any other language — it will fall flat. Even if it were remade in Tumkur or Mandya, it would require its own NQ to work and probably not to the same degree.