A CROSS-BORDER ROMANCE THAT RUNS LIKE A REAL-LIFE THRILLER

N one of Elumale's most tender moments, Revathi wonders aloud if choosing Harisha means abandoning her family forever.

- A SHARADHAA

Harisha, without hesitation, assures her that as long as he breathes, she will never feel that void. In that exchange, debutant Punit Rangaswamy sets the tone; this is no candy-coated romance, but a haunting, restless love story that throbs with tension.

The story unfolds over a single night, where the ticking clock is as much a character as Harisha (Raanna) and Revathi (Priyanka Achar). Harisha is a Mysuru cab driver, an orphan with no one to call his own, while Revathi belongs to a wealthy Tamil Nadu household, her fate sealed by an arranged marriage set for the next morning. But by midnight, she has already made her decision: she will leave it all—family, fortune, future—to be with Harisha, who fondly calls her Chinni. Set in the early 2000s, the choice feels believable.

Harisha carries one keepsake from her: a photocopy of her college ID card. Revathi holds a keychain etched with "H." Their bond survives through constant phone calls—her voice a mixture of innocence, courage, and fear. Their meeting point is the sacred hills of Male Mahadeshwara. At first glance, it appears like familiar young love marked with missed calls, missed buses, stolen moments. But Punit's narrative quickly sharpens: a call unanswered, a wrong turn, a bloodstain, and Harisha becomes a man caught in forces stronger than himself, beginning with Mantelinga (Jagappa) at the check post.