The title is one of the slogans of the new Kannada activism. From the pages of social media and Kannada teaching applications, this one gets a film of its own. The phrase, when used by a migrant, is a double offence for Kannadiags, distorting not only the name of the language but showing disrespect for it as well. When the phrase is the crux of the story, you know you have some serious propaganda at hand. But, but, the film has a cinematic plot and clever use of the activist cause entwined.

A string of non-Kannadiaga migrants in Bengaluru start to go missing. Their mistake seems to be their boast of 'Kannada Gothilla.' There is only one suspect. But when the dead bodies of the missing persons begin to turn up, the issue threatens to spiral out of control. The cops have to run against time to arrest the culprit and prevent any social damage.

It looks like the film caters to the guilty pleasure of anyone who really wants to trash someone saying 'Kannad Gothilla'. You could have seen it coming just from the title. The film in the end however makes enough noises of coexistence and reconciliation to balance things out.

As a crime story, this film has an adequate plot. It is not an edge-of-the-seat thriller or a pacy cat-and-mouse game. The focus on promoting the cause never goes away and that is its limitation as well. The plot is tied up without any loose ends and the execution is smooth and without rough edges. The director manages to extract acceptable performances from most of the cast.

Unlike the cringe-worthy Kannada patriotism dialogues and incidents forced into the narratives of some films, Kannad Gothilla picks up a contemporary social phenomenon to buttress its story. It is neither diffident nor provocative, but just enough to prick some awareness. A true Bengaluru-Kannada film if there is one.