Mythri reaches out well!

You can read the review of Mythri in Kannada here.

Mythri, the Kannada movie, presents a serious issue through humor as well as touches the cinematic sensibilities of the audience on the way. That apart, catchy punchlines set the tempo in the movie! It is not that movie is without stereotyped characters or predictable twists in the story. But the film manages to go beyond that and raises the voice of that social segment which is downtrodden and considered to be antisocial. We have seen the crew in other films boasting their film to be different during promotions, which more often than not prove to be false. But Mythri truly differs in treatment of the subject handled by very few. It is also heartening to see Giriraj utilizing second half and climax in the movie to full effect, which is a rare phenomenon in Kannada cinema nowadays. There is no hesitation in calling this movie, a bridge film as it finely blends elements of parallel and mainstream cinema. But some scenes which show too much violence and some which seem explicit could have been avoided. In that sense, movie could have been subtle in some aspects. Having said that I would say movie is a fine effort in a time when Kannada movie industry is stuggling to come up with original scripts.

Juvenile crime and harsh realities around it form the crux of the movie. Depiction of antisocial elements who take advantage of the loopholes in juvenile law in India and prejudices against juvenile criminals come out well in the film. Though at times one feels the shadow of the Slumdog millionaire on the movie, Mythri retains its distinctness.

Picture Courtesy : nowrunning.com

It is good to see many hands join for a movie made with a good intention. Many big names in the industry - Malayalam movie legend Mohanlal, Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, director Shashank, Atul Kulkarni and Ravi Kale, who are known for their fine performances play their part in acting. Music maestro Ilayaraj has rendered the music for the film. Yogaraj Bhat and Jayanth Kaykini well known for their lyrics for popular Kannada numbers and poet H S Venkateshamurthy have penned the songs. Bhavana Menon, Satyajith, Sadhu Kokila play guest roles. Interestingly, director Giriraj himself has lent his voice for Ravi Kale’s role of Guli Prathap. Success of Mythri is a tribute to this combined effort as film continues to run for the second week in many theatres of Bangalore. Already the buzz in Gandhinagar is about this movie being made in Telugu with Nagarjuna playing the of role which Puneeth played. If that materializes, it would be a feather in cap for the team.

Earlier, B M Giriraj had directed a short film ‘Navilaadavaru’, much before ‘Jatta’, which won Karnataka state award for being the second best film. You can find review of ‘Navilaadavaru’ here. Also, have a look at the trailer of the movie Mythri in the youtube link below.

Bit Philosophical, Bit Comical - Thats Paramathma for you!

Read this article in Kannada here.

Most of who watched Paramathma pointed out at the lack of linear story in the narrative. But when I saw the movie, I thought it is this mindset Yogaraj Bhat wants to break and for some part he succeeds too if you observe the turn out in the first week.

Bhat-Harikrishna Combo : Right from the audio release of Paramathma, songs of the film have created a rage among the audience. Bhat as lyricist and Harikrishna as music director have delivered another power packed audio after the hugely popular Jackie songs. Bhat's witty lines in perfect tunes provide enjoyable experience - so much that we forget there are melodies from Jayant Kaykini too!

Picture Courtesy : nowrunning.com

Philosophical : Bhattru gets philosophical at times in the film and tries to present the shades of human relationships. Scenes like Puneeth visiting Buddhist monks, Avinash hitting Puneeth disguised in Bear's(Karadi) costume go to show that. Add to that the noise making dabba(box)! Even in the Kannada rap lyrics(with Kanglish lines) director infuses philosophical lines - Anumaana irada anuraaga illa(There is no love without doubt). Or take the example of mocking song about failed students. Systemme sariyalla chombeshwara, Prime minister aagbidla onde sala(System is not right, How about me becoming a Prime minister at once!) summarizes it all. Though Yogaraj Bhat presents his own philosophy, the questions presented in the movie are universal like following one's dreams and the dilemma in making choices. In a single line, Yogaraj equates one's heart to the almighty(Paramathma)!

Happy First Half : First half of the film presents the happy outlook of life. Witty dialogues turn the whole theater into a sea of laughter. Even the media created love story adds to the fun. Kone Male(Last Rain) presenting the stereotyped film makers of Gandhinagar is hilarious.

Serious Second Half : Second half of the movie gets a bit serious. You also start feeling whether the movie is going into disarray. But the protagonist constructing his dream house which is linked to the first half gets it back on track.

Extreme Reactions : Extreme reactions are expected of a film like this. After watching the film on the first day my friend Sandeep messaged saying Paramathma is too complicated for Sandalwood. On the other hand, reaction of a frustrated movie-goer was 'Ee film nodokke black ll bere barbeku' ((Why) I should buy tickets in black to watch a movie like this!)

Though I would not state that the film is without flaws. Even with its shortcomings Paramathma presents a new look of the Kannada cinema. But I would ask Bhat to do one thing - "Sir, change the theme of love in your films :)"

You can now watch the movie Paramathma online on hometalkies.com - Thanks to the efforts Pawan Kumar, the director of Lifeu Ishtene.

Here's an interesting post on Paramathma.
5 lessons Bollywood can learn from ‘Paramathma’

Prithvi(Kannada) Movie Review

That Prithvi is a film, based on the current political scenario in Karnataka(involving mining lords) is now well known. But how well it has managed to keep this theme throughout the film without being too filmy, is the question to be asked. According to me, Prithvi manages to be out of the ordinary. But then it is far from being a cult movie.

Prithvi(Puneeth Rajkumar) faces political pressures, right from the first day of being appointed as the Deputy Commissioner(DC) of Bellary. But he refuses to yield to politicians/mining lobby's demands. First half of the movie depicts the working of DC offices pretty well. Full marks to Jacob Varghese for that.

Picture Courtesy : nowrunning.com

But taking up a realistic subject and being commercial in movie making is a tough balancing act. That's what you feel when you see 5 duets being stuffed in the movie. Well, songs could have been reduced to 2 or 3. Then you have female lead, Parvati Menon limited to dancing in those 5 songs. Also, less scope for veteran actor, Avinash in a villainous role. Though the film's first half is a subject of recent times, the climax in the second half is a cliche. It seems like a repeat of those from action films of the 80s and 90s. Film fails miserably here because sequences being too melodramatic.

Barring the cliches in the film, dialogues are the highlight. Dialogues taking a dig at celebrity worshipping in India and on the current political setup invokes laughter. Also there are dialogues relating to one's ideals and being practical. One ridiculous thing in the film is the disclaimer shown at the beginning, that the film being not related any real incidents/persons. But after hearing few sarcastic dialogues, anyone can make out that Karnataka politicians and Kannada media is at the receiving end. If not, do you think former prime minister Mr.H D Deve Gowda would have watched the film, taking time out of his 'busy' schedule?