Review: MaLeyali Jotheyali

Title: MaLeyali Jotheyali (Kannada 2009)
Starring: Ganesh, Anjana Sukhani, Yuvika Chaudary, Rangayana Raghu, Dattanna, Sihikahi Chandru, Sihikahi Geetha, Sharan
Directed by: Preetham Gubbi
Music: Hari Krishna
Photography: Krishna

Verdict: Enjoyable and worth watching.

Now-a-days there are lots of Kannada movies being screened here in California bay area. As frequently as once a month we get the opportunity to watch a movie which has been certified as a 'recent hit' by Kannada audience in India. Some times the movies are so mediocre that they leave the bay area audience wondering how such a movie could be a hit. Many times these movies 'running to packed houses in Karnataka' not only lack in quality but they also peddle shocking levels of crass and tasteless entertainment. So it is hard to have an expectation of a movie watching experience. My simplified yardstick is 'if it is a Kannada movie, just go and watch it'. And it is always fun to watch a movie with a crowd.

Theatre Atmosphere
So on Saturday Feb 6th, I was at Serra theatres in Milpitas for the 6 PM show. I stood in a long line to but tickets and I went into the theatre. I was in disbelief as I saw a noisy and excited crowd of about 150 eagerly waiting for the movie to start. That was in itself a thrilling sight. And when the Golden hero Ganesh made his entrance, there was whistling and screaming. I was pleasantly surprised at Ganesh's stardom in this part of the world.

Plot (does not reveal the whole story)
The movie's protagonist is Preetam (Ganesh) who has passed his PUC (12th) exams in his 7th attempt. He is a road-romeo who proposes to any young girl he finds attractive. His box of tricks to charm the girls include flattering the girls with extremely over-the-top poetic phrases. He gets into form especially when it starts raining. His rich but good natured simpleton dad (Rangayana Raghu) wants to get him married in the traditional arranged way. So Ganesh's friend Venkatesh (Sharan) hatches a plan where they convince the dad that Ganesh should go and meet Venkatesh's military uncle Tamayya (Dattanna) and marry the uncle's (fictitious) daughter. Tammayya lives in the hilly Sakaleshpura. Ganesh arrives there to meet 2 love interests - Sandhya and Anjali. Sandhya (Anjana Sukhani)is the modern aggressive female whereas Anjali (Yuvika Chaudary) is the traditional demure heroine. The story revolves around this love triangle in a filmy but good natured way.

Analysis
The director Preetam Gubbi has treated the story line in a mature way and has attempted to keep it lively and handles the emotional scenes with good restraint. He has avoided overt sentimentality and avoids syrupy dialogues and situations. But the movie does occasionally slide into formulaic dialogues and situations not wanting to let go of the tried and trusted tricks to win the audience. For instance the irritating and over-talkative hero who tries to woo the girls with his goofiness.(I find it hard to believe that women keep finding this attractive). Then there is over-cute child who talks beyond her age. But in spite of making these objections I find the director ends up on the positive side.

Performance
The movie has a lot of attractions. The lush mountains, homes and life of the Malnad area in and around Sakaleshpur have been captured beautifully. Background music by Hari Krishna is very good and there are some melodious songs by Sonu Nigam, Tipu, Shreya Goshal and Ganesh himself. It was funny that Hari Krishna has used an All India Radio tune during sombre emotions.

Ganesh reiterates that he has very good talent for histrionics and that his star value is dependable. Rangayana Raghu devours the role of the goofy dad. Yuvika (Anjali) has a freshness about her looks, smile and acting that she has a good future. Anjana who plays Sandhya looked like an unlikely choice for a heroine but she uses the opportunity to show her acting ability. The two heroines and Ganesh bring a lot of charm to the movie. But I am still peeved that the have bring heroines from outside.

This movie is definitely worth watching and provides good entertainment in spite of hanging on to some boring cliches.

Score: 7 out of 10