Karma: Well worth a watch

Some movies are quite thought-provoking, some leave you thoroughly entertained, some scare you to the point where you can't go to the bathroom at night, and some invoke an emotional response. Karma: Crime, Passion, Reincarnation does none of that. But having said that, the film is a good one-time watch if you have time to spare.

Vik (Carlucci Weyant) and Anna (Alma Saraci), who live in New York, return to Vik's ancestral home in Ooty to meet his estranged father (Vijayendra S Ghatge). While Anna has never been to Ooty before, she inexplicably seems to know every nook and cranny of the town, as well as some of the people! Confused and frightened by what she is experiencing, Anna tries to confide in Vik, but is met with impatience and disbelief.

However, later, as it becomes clear that Anna is indeed having some sort of strange experience of reincarnation (with Claudia Ciesla playing her past incarnation), the couple set out to solve the mystery of her past life.

The climax is unexpected and the film ends with a flourish. Crime, passion, suspense and well developed characters mark this short film.

The fact is that few short films achieve their goals of a plot, continuity and a good cast. Karma has accomplished all these and more. Though the plot is somewhat run-of-the-mill, it is well developed, and well thought out. It's clear to see that each sequence has been thought out carefully and strung together to make a rather tight film. If it weren't for the slightly sub-standard editing, somewhat stiff performances by the Indian actors and foreign accents gone wrong, I would say Karma was a very well-made film.

After doing the rounds of international film festivals and winning a bunch of awards, Karma releases in India today. Watch it if you enjoy short films and don't mind a slightly predictable storyline.

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