Heartfelt paw prints amid uneven moments

OME sequels return simply to cash in on nostalgia. Others dare to expand the emotional and thematic scope of their original. Naanu Matthu Gunda 2, the follow-up to the 2020 Naanu Mathu Gunda, a film about the bond between a man and his dog, clearly attempts the latter.

- A SHARADHAA

It is not merely a continuation of Shankara and Gunda's story, but a meditation on whether love and loyalty can survive death itself. The result is moving, frustrating, and occasionally profound.

The film opens with the legacy of Shankara's (Shivaraj KR Pete) sacrifice still heavy in the air. Gunda, his ever-faithful companion, refuses to abandon his grave until Shankara's son is born. Fate, however, is cruel. The boy loses his mother at birth and is raised by Shankara's friends Bhoori (Govinde Gowda) and Adavi (Nayana). Gunda follows, tethering himself to the boy's destiny, only to be resented as the years go by. The child sees the dog as an obstacle, a source of mockery among his peers. This tension culminates in Gunda's slow decline and eventual death, staged with raw detail that leaves the audience squirming between heartbreak and catharsis.