Dia

K. S. Ashoka's 2020 Kannada film follows Dia, withdrawn and unable to say what she feels for a fellow student at college. The story runs in its first half as romantic comedy; in the second an unexpected loss changes the tone entirely. The film was made on a very small budget and was an unexpected commercial success; a production without stars succeeding at this scale was unusual in mainstream Kannada cinema. Kushee Ravi's performance is natural. Its limit is the excess of emotional steering in the second half and music constantly cutting in. The plainness of the first half is stronger. Who it's for: viewers who like Kannada cinema and romantic drama. Who it's not for: anyone put off by emotional steering, or avoiding themes of death and loss.