Senna Hegde’s ‘1744 White Alto’, with Sharaf U Dheen, is a kind of stoner comedy where some jokes land big-time while others feel forced

Spoilers ahead…

Senna Hegde began with a feature-length documentary set in Kanhangad, which is where 1744 White Alto is also set. In his first feature, Katheyondu Shuruvagide, he overcame the generic beats of a rom-com by adding a coming-of-age element. His second feature, Thinkalazhcha Nischayam , a comedy-drama again set in Kanhangad, was an instant masterpiece. It established Senna as someone whose stories – when “told” – may seem very thin, very broad. But scratch the generic  surface, and you’ll find a filmmaker who breaks down these broad stories into a series of moments rather than a series of events. What you remember in Thinkalazhcha Nischayam are little, flavourful things like bitter gourd curry or a woman’s right to visit Sabarimala. The reason for this long preamble is this: If there’s one thing you can say about Senna Hegde, it’s that he’s not a safe filmmaker. You can’t slot him. 1744 White Alto, therefore, is some kind of stoner comedy..

You can read the rest of the review here:

https://www.galatta.com/malayalam/movie/review/1744-white-alto/

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