777 Charlie review: An adorable canine star steals hearts in this Rakshit Shetty movie

If you have or ever had a dog in your life, you can’t help but be biased towards 777 Charlie. The latest film starring Kannada movie star Rakshit Shetty is about a reclusive man, who finds his redemption in a four-legged princess named Charlie.

If you had or have a dog, you know the term ‘pet’ is an understatement to describe your relationship with the animal. It is your family. And 777 Charlie evokes just the right emotions as you watch some of the naughty stunts that Charlie pulls off without thinking twice about the consequences. Because Charlie knows that there is Dharma (Rakshit Shetty) behind it to scoop up its mess.

Dharma lives a life that is not enviable at all. He’s utterly unapproachable, unpresentable and uncompromising when it comes to shutting the doors on people who seek his companionship. His house is nothing but a pile of trash. The mess doesn’t affect Dharma, because he seems incapable of feeling anything. He lost his parents and a younger sister in a car accident at a very young age. He has grown up to become a bitter man. He’s full of contradiction. He’s a fan of Charlie Chaplin but he never smiles. He’s an exemplary worker, who lives an unpleasant life. He’s good at heart but never really cares about anybody. His bark is worse than his bite.

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But, Dharma’s life changes when Charlie escapes its abusive owner and wanders straight into his life. Charlie sees something in Dharma that he himself doesn’t see in him. Charlie adopts Dharma as its parent and adds some life to his existence. The two outcasts, who have been dealt a bad hand by life, find a saviour in each other. And they both set out on a journey of self-discovery.

Charlie is the heart and soul of the film. And this canine actor has delivered some of the most adorable and feel-good moments that we have seen in a long time. Every wide-eyed gaze, every hug and every other funny reaction are so full of charms. Rakshit Shetty plays a supporting role to Charlie; he, as a fellow actor, understands and respects the fact that this film belongs to the canine star.

Director Kiranraj K has bathed the world of Charlie in hues of soft and warm blue light filling each frame with a sense of calmness. The colour palette mimics the weather of Bengaluru in monsoon and thus assumes a dream-like quality. Composer Nobin Paul’s tunes blend seamlessly with the vision of Kiranraj, enhancing the feel-good elements in the movie.

Chaos, unrelenting violence, and slaughter by guns of all shapes and sizes have mostly formed our core movie experience this year so far. The mantra this year has been — the bigger the guns, the bigger the destruction, the bigger the success at the box office. And the makers of 777 Charlie deserve a pat on the back for believing that people would still respond to movies that offer a quieter experience of self-reflection about the absurdity of life.