Popcorn Monkey Tiger

Popcorn Monkey Tiger is a 2020 Indian Kannada-language action crime film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by K. M. Sudhir. It serves as a sequel to the 2015 film Kendasampige. The film features Dhananjaya, Amrutha Iyengar, Nivedhitha, Sapthami Gowda, Sparsha Rekha, and Prashanth Siddi. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Charan Raj while the cinematography and editing were handled by Shekhar S. and Deepu. S. Kumar.

A sequel titled Kaage Bangara and the third film in the trilogy was supposed to enter production in 2020.

Popcorn Monkey Tiger was released on 22 February 2020 to positive reviews from critics, but underperformed at the box office.

Plot
The plot unfolds in a reverse-chronological fashion. It focuses on the life of the protagonist, Seena, and the evolution of his character due to external forces that sway him in different directions. Women/lovers involved in Seena's life contribute to these forces that trigger the Metamorphosis of his character. He goes from being a garage mechanic to a prominent leader in the underworld mafia.

"Popcorn" Devi, one of the lovers, has a profound impact on Seena's life. The back story on how "Popcorn" Devi got involved with the underworld unfolds parallelly alongside Seena's story.

Soundtrack
Charan Raj scored the background music and soundtrack for the film. The audio rights were bought by PRK Audio in December 2019.

Reception
Popcorn Monkey Tiger received positive reviews from critics.

Critical response
Sunayna Suresh of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 and wrote "While fans of crime and gore will enjoy this, Popcorn Monkey Tiger is a film that unintentionally glorifies the underworld in more ways than one." A. Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Popcorn Monkey Tiger is original and has Suri's signature all over it. This is a film for all the lovers of the director's work, as well as for the fans of Dhananjay, and for those who adore the mafia-based films."

Y. Maheshwara Reddy of Bangalore Mirror gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "It is worth watching if you want to see Dhananjaya in a different avatar and also ready to cope with sound pollution caused by indecent dialogues." Aravind Shwetha of The News Minute praised the film's reverse chronological screenwriting and wrote "Popcorn Monkey Tiger is raw, rugged and realistic, and a must-watch for mass movie lovers."