777 Charlie movie review: Carry your mask and tissue papers

First of all, kudos to the entire team of 777 Charlie for highlighting the topic of stray pet adoption quoting the lines “adopt, don’t shop”

What’s Good: 777 Charlie is not a movie, it’s an emotion. Showcasing a beautiful human-animal relation, Rakshit and Charlie ride you through a roller coaster of emotions. The bonding is so strong that you no longer feel that you are in a theatre. You feel as if it’s all happening around you with your own people.

Script: Debutant writer K Kiranji pens a fresh-out-of-the-box script and executes it with his own direction. Few scenes where stray dogs are ill-treated are hard-hitting and show a mirror of society, politely pinching the audience. The dialogue “If you are lucky, a dog will come into your life” is cleverly used in the script. A scene where Rakshit opens up and discovers himself because of Charlie is so overwhelming. A better climax was expected, but all’s well that ends well.

Direction: The kind of direction that makes us feel proud that we have such talent in Sandalwood. Top-notch direction especially in the first half. If some scenes bring you to the edge of the seat, do give due credit to the director. (will not reveal which scenes)

Screenplay: The first half is fast but equally engaging and entertaining. Well-placed scenes one after the other keeps you so engaging that you don’t wish to see the ‘intermission’ slide on the screen. Few marks were cut for some flaws in the screenplay in the second half.

Cinematography: From Mysuru to Kashmir, the story takes you to multiple locations. The old streets of Mysuru, the shop selling idli, Rakshit’s rustic house, the valleys of Kashmir and other locations during the journey are very well shot to leave you mesmerized.

Music: Ohh some welcome experiments in this department. A mixture of Kannada, Hindi, English and Folk is included in the songs by various artists across India. Though none of the songs will remain on your tongue for long, you will certainly enjoy them. Don’t miss the entry song which also shows the life of Charlie or any other street dog. The background score could have been better in some emotional scenes.

Performance: Here’s the USP of the movie, the performances. No wonder if you see Charlie lifting many awards in the future to become the first dog to attend award shows. Her performance is so impactful that when you come out of the theatre, you see Charlie in every street dog you come across. Her expressions are enough to melt your heart. While Charlie is the man of the match, Rakshit supports equally at the non-striker’s end and both finish the match with records. (Speaking about records, this is the first Kannada movie with a dog as the lead role)

What’s Bad: The run time of 165 minutes really tests your patience in the second half when the movie drags a bit adding two irrelevant scenes. The audience had already accepted the strong bonding between Rakshit and Charlie and there was no need for an actress or a cameo. Thankfully, the movie gets back to the track after these scenes. The last scene looked extra stretched but again balanced with a surprise.

Verdict: Whether a dog lover or not, this is a must-watch movie for everyone. Watch it for the cause, watch it for the genuine efforts, watch it for the intention, and watch it for the innocence. Rakshit and Charlie are going to make you laugh a lot and cry plenty. So make sure you carry loads of tissue papers or handkerchiefs along with your mask. And yes, “do adopt, don’t shop” is a pet.

Rating: 5 stars for the first half, 3 stars for the second. Overall 3.5 stars.

Wriiten by: Mandar Kolhapure.