Kaddipudi is a 2013 Indian Kannada languagecrime drama directed by Duniya Soori and produced by M. Chandru. The screenplay was written by Soori and Rajesh Nataranga and the film stars Shivrajkumar as Anand alias Kaddipudi, a rowdy in Bangalore who vows to relinquish his life of crime and lead a normal life. The film also features Radhika Pandit, Rangayana Raghu, Anant Nag, Rajesh Nataranga, Balu Nagendra, Sharath Lohitashwa, Renuka Prasad and Avinash in pivotal roles. The music of the film was composed by V. Harikrishna with lyrics for the soundtracks written by Yogaraj Bhat and Jayant Kaikini. Hedarabyadri song sung by Shachina heggar also received a State award for best play back singer year 2013-14. The movie received mixed reviews from the critics. However, it was later hailed as a neo-noir experiment.
Plot
Anand was nicknamed "Kaddipudi" as his grandmother used to sell the tobacco products. He is associated to a shady politician, whose rivalry with others has resulted in many deaths. He is unwittingly caught in the crossfire and even attempts to relinquish his life of crime and lead a normal life. A saint in the form of a Police officer helps him in this quest, but there are other forces that would not let him have a normal life. His entanglement in this web of fraud and deceit forms the story.
Kaddipudi started filming on 3 September 2012 and completed on 13 December 2012. The film was the first in Kannada cinema to not have any choreographers. The actors were asked to dance for each of the five songs in the film as they wished.
Soundtrack
composed the music for the film and the soundtracks, also having co-sung the "Budu Buduke Maalinga" with Yogaraj Bhat. The lyrics for the soundtrack were penned by Bhat and Jayant Kaikini. The soundtrack album consists of five soundtracks.
Reception
The music of Kaddipudi was well received by critics. Kavya Christopher of The Times of India gave it a 3/5 rating and wrote, "Witty lyrics presented with an old-world charm have been music director V Harikrishna's USP, and with Kaddipudi, he recreates his magic."
Release
The film which was initially planned for release in January 2013, but was postponed and released on 7 June 2013. The satellite rights of the film was sold to Udaya TV for in January 2013. The film was released in 200 screens across Karnataka.
Critical response
Upon its theatrical release, Kaddipudi received positive to mixed reviews from critics. G. S. Kumar of The Times of India gave the film a rating of three and a half out of five and wrote, "Though the subject is strong, director Suri has made it look tame with lack-lusture narration, especially in the first half, and sequences which are dull and weak." and concluding praising the roles of acting, camera and the music departments in the film. Sify.com called it an "average" film and gave special praise to Aindrita Ray for her portrayal of a call girl in the film writing, "The trump card of the movie is Aindrita Ray, who sizzles for a brief time, in a special song. The actress, as a call girl, has performed Kathak." Performances of Shivarajkumar, Rangayana Raghu and Sharath Lohitashwa were also praised. Bangalore Mirror reviewed the film writing, "...it is the maturity in the narrative and sublime handling of the proceedings that strike you most."
