Kargil review: This one-man show is novel but lacks foresight

Don't let the title fool you into thinking that this is a film about war or about a guy going for war. The film, directed by Sivaani Senthil, is about the war that happens in love.

The film has just one character, Arjun (Jishnu Menon) and the entire story revolves around him. Maha (Prarna Sathani), Arjun's girlfriend, appears in just one song that is featured right at the beginning of the film. After that, the camera is fixed on Menon.

Arjun is an IT professional who is driving from Chennai to Bengaluru in the hope of clinching a US project that fell through a few months ago. His girlfriend Maha, whom he intends to marry, is extremely possessive of him. For Arjun, bagging the project is imperative as he has lied to Maha about having already won it.

Maha, however, has another task for him. She wants him to go and receive her dad, who has just arrived in Chennai from abroad, at the aiport. Maha wants Arjun to impress her dad so as to create a situation wherein she can explain the love she has for Arjun and get her dad's permission for their wedding.

Unfortunately for her, Arjun, after promising to receive her dad, is now on his way to Bengaluru, as his ex-girlfriend Sindhu, who also happens to be his boss and his managing director's live-in partner, has got him a second chance at the US deal.

The day begins on a positive note for Arjun as he starts off from Chennai. However, a series of problems soon arise. His uncle, who was supposed to pick Maha's father from the airport instead, meets with an accident. Thererfore, Arjun asks Sindhu to pick up Maha's father. Little does he know then that he is going to be harassed by Sindhu, who wants him to come back to her.

As if the problems created by Sindhu aren't enough, Arjun is repeatedly called by one Beep Sagayam, who mistakes Arjun for somebody who has borrowed money from him. The conversations that Arjun has with Maha, his boss, with Sindhu and Beep Sagayam over the phone, during the entire journey from Chennai to Bengaluru, is what makes the film.

This said, Kargil has some positive points. For instance, the film speaks of the much ignored issue of mental harrassment. In this case, not by a man on a woman, but the other way round.

Actor Menon should be commended for his performance. Only the best of actors can handle sequences that involve tight close ups. Any mistake, however small, will be clearly visible to the audiences. To Menon's credit, the camera is glued to him for almost two hours and there is not a single shot where he fails. This is quite an achievement for a newcomer and he deserves to be congratulated for the effort.

The film's music department deserves praise too. Music director Vignesh Pai's background score plays a crucial role in breathing life into the film. Pai has immense potential and is a name to look out for in the future.  

Senthil's attempt is both new and brave. However, these factors are not enough to satisfy the audience. The director has failed to forsee the problems that this interesting approach was bound to cause, and therefore, struggles to address them.

For instance, Arjun does nothing but talks to people on phone through the entire film. It was inevitable that the audience get bored and annoyed. Next, the director seems to have repeated visuals, like the stagnated water on the highway or shots of Arjun driving the car. This adds monotony to a film that is already a difficult watch.

Kargil is a new and refreshing attempt, but it could have been much better with a little more foresight and planning.