If our God could create this universe in six days and rest on the seventh day, why not a veteran journalist? With this thought I decided to entertain myself by going to DRC Cinemas, known for its over-sized Samosa like the original American Burger and enjoy the evening.

However, to enjoy a film, the most important decision lies in the choice of a film in a multiplex. My choice was a Kannada film with an outrageous, peculiar and hybrid title ‘Daredevil Musthafa.’ As I read the title, the first person who came to my mind was the leader of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Turkish Fez Cap. In fact, this cap has an important role to play in the film.

Be that as it may, to my surprise, the theatre was almost full. That gave me an assurance that the film must be good. And indeed it was. And being a Kannadiga myself from the Malnad area (Western Ghat), I could easily understand the story of life and times, depicted on the screen, in a series of episodes after episodes.

The film is an adaptation of the story written by a famous naturalist and a writer, son of a literary giant Kuvempu — Poornachandra Tejaswi. The location of the story is a fictional town Abachuru in the rural area like the fictional town Malgudi in R.K. Narayan’s books.

The theme is about the Hindu-Muslim connect centred around the Government Junior College where all the students are Hindus. And suddenly a Muslim student, Musthafa, appears. After this, it is a rocking chair experience that enthrals the viewers till the end. No violence of the kind we generally see about such themes in the films. However, the pride and prejudices, the superstitions, challenges and counter-challenges, the cunning and the honesty among students are all shown in an entertaining manner.

In the midst of all this, Director Shashank Soghal brings out romance in a nuanced manner between the protagonist, the intelligent, good-mannered Musthafa and the girl student of the school, so also the amorous advances the male school teacher makes towards the lady school teacher while watching the cricket match.

The denouement to the film is in the last episode of a cricket match played between the local Muslim youths and the college team that brought to my mind the hit Hindi film ‘Lagaan’ with Aamir Khan delivering a sterling performance. Looking at films with cricket in it, one is inclined to believe that there is lot of fun, frolic, goodwill, bonhomie and even brotherhood to be achieved among the players belonging to different castes, creeds, social status and even religions. That magic of cricket is very well depicted in this film ‘Daredevil Musthafa.’

The film shows in a subtle way the fault lines we find occasionally, as an aberration, in the Hindu-Muslim perception of each other. But, looking at this kind of films such perceptions may fade away as it happens in this film at the end. The cricket ground and the Government Junior College shown in the film appears to be our well-known, heritage school, the Hardwike High School on JLB Road. Architecturally, quite a huge heritage Junior College for a village town Abachuru!!

The role of Ramanuja Iyengar was a difficult one, indeed in the context of the story, but the actor Aditya Ashree has played his role too well bringing out the humour, emotions of belief, family sentiments, pain and revenge required of the role. And above all, the cunning. His body language too was delivered perfectly to fit the persona of the character. I guess it is an award deserving acting.

Two songs with meaningful lyrics are well set to lilting music but the picturisation seemed rather poor for the situation. An opportunity lost.

However, nothing is lost as for the film. There is comedy, which means humour, emotions and, above all, a message about peace and understanding among mankind where it is a win-win battle of wits for both the camps. A wholesome entertainment. All in good humour!

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