Pepe movie story: Pepe (Vinay Rajkumar), has beef with the people presumably behind his father’s death. These same people have also been oppressing the villagers and denying them basic amenities. And when push comes to shove, Pepe takes a stand against them.

Pepe movie review: Vinay Rajkumar’s transition to mass hero – that’s what everyone expected debutant director Shreelesh S Nair’s Pepe to be. The film, Vinay had said, would touch upon pertinent societal issues and present them in a commercial film format. Well, that rings partially true. Yes, the core of the film revolves around casteism and women’s rights, among others, but these are not presented in the most engaging fashion.

Shreelesh chooses a non-linear narrative and focuses on stylized presentation, with jump cuts across timelines that are distinctive in their colour grading, and are boosted by great background score. The story itself spans across multiple generations, amid feudal oppression and casteism, in a world where a menstruating woman is an outcast.

This, however, means that the narrative is overstuffed with characters, in roles that only last a few minutes each. There are just so many names thrown around that it becomes difficult to keep track of who’s who and who’s done what. This is perhaps why the team of the film thought it necessary to release a family tree to give context to some of the characters on screen. But then, there’s no backstory or character development, so there’s no emotional connect with any of them.

Even Vinay’s character, Pepe, suffers in this regard. His father death is a mystery that haunts him, but it’s his mother’s eventual passing that spurs him into action against those who have been trampling on his rights and that of his people. Much of his screen time is devoted to action pieces, and the actor packs a mean punch, although, some of it had major Raj B Shetty vibes.

The film does not offer Vinay much to flex his acting skills – it’s his muscles that do most of the talking. Heroine Kaajal Kunder and Aruna Balraj, as his mother, fare better in this department. Medini Kelamane’s vengeance-driven character shows promise, but doesn’t come to anything.

(Spoiler alert) Shreelesh is hoping to continue the story with a second segment, which is, presumably when light will be shone on these feuding families and why they are hell bent on having the river fill up with blood. As it stands now Pepe is an incoherent piece that even when watched in rapt attention, is likely to leave one exhausted from the unfruitful effort.

Vinay Rajkumar has been trying to stay off the beaten path with his choice of films, with success eluding him. Pepe is unlikely to change this equation, and makes one wonder if it is, perhaps, time that the actor makes wiser choices. He has leaned more in favour of newbie filmmakers, which, despite his best intentions, has not worked out well.

Pepe movie verdict: Shreelesh and Vinay are hoping to leave audiences with questions after watching the film. There are questions, no doubt, but just not what they are hoping for. ‘What just happened?’ is the most likely one that audiences will have.

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