Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani : Movie Review

A comedy movie, as projected by the posters of the movie, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani lives upto the expectations. Movie is fast paced and never seems boring. Rajkumar Santoshi is aware that primarily it is a comedy movie and he puts limited emotional scenes and it gels well. Few scenes here, may remind you of the great comedy movie of the 90s - Andaz Apna Apna.

Plot : Prem(Ranbir Kapoor) is the president of Happy Club of the town, which he runs along with his jobless friends. The motto of the Happy Club is to keep the people of the town happy. His gang of men also help in uniting the lovers, when faced opposition from their parents. Jennifer(Katrina Kaif), who initially mistakes Prem for a kidnapper, later becomes his good friend. He does everything to win over her - turns into a non-vegetarian from being a pure-vegetarian, finds himself a job, does his work sincerely, keeps aside time for his family to get himself the tag of achcha ladka from Jennifer! But all this goes in vein as Jennifer is in love with Rahul(Upen Patel).

Picture Courtesy : BollywoodHungama.com

In the meantime, Jennifer's parents are adamant on marrying her to someone else. But Prem comes to Jenni's rescue as the befitting president of Happy Club! But there are complications as Rahul's parents are also against him marrying Jenni. Will Jenni marry Rahul? What will be Prem's fate? To know answers to these questions watch the movie.

Kahani is not so ajab as you might have seen this type of triangular love stories before but definitely the comedy element is ghazab and that proves poora paisa vasool! Funny dialogues for most part of the film keeps audience in good homour. Few comedy sequences are - Stammering by Ranbir and Katrina, when they get emotional. But this creates funny misunderstandings! Salman Khan does a cameo and the best part here is when Ranbir hesitatingly introduces Katrina as his girl friend, Salman says why are you acting as if you are introducing my girl friend as yours! Prem turns into a non-vegetarian without knowing Jenni is a pure vegetarian! Prem's confession to Lord Jesus in broken English also tickles your funny bone. Comedy of errors in the party, when Prem is eager to dance with Jenni sets a laugh riot. Beautiful landscapes of Ooty, where the major portion of the film was shot, are a treat to watch. Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif make up a good onscreen pair. Fight sequence which is at the final part of the movie seems dragged. Climax of the movie well dealt, though in an unusual way. On the whole, this film is a complete entertainer. So, surely make up your time to watch it.

A Temple Without Walls

Sowthadka Mahaganapathi Temple, 20km from popular pilgrimage center, Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada, is unique in the sense that it has no temple structure. I am not aware of any other temple for which there is no temple structure.This temple nestled in tranquil natural surroundings is open round the clock for offering prayers, with simple worshipping opportunity to the public. Devotees themselves have the opportunity to perform pooja to Lord Ganapathi. It is not crowded as most of the popular temples are. With lush greenery around and Lord Ganapathi in middle of it, this place is ideal for meditation. If you are looking for calm, serene surroundings, this is the place for you. Well, I see these settings continuing the ancient Indian tradition of worshipping the nature. One can also see a lot of cows freely wandering around the place of worship. Monkeys can also be seen jumping from tree to tree. Prasada of the pooja is also offered to these animals. Thus, love towards animals is nurtured. Simplicity of this place is sure to delight you.There is also a park near the temple, where there is a statue of Lord Shiva.Bit of History : Long ago, a temple was in control of a Royal family. During one of the battles, the temple was destroyed. At that time, cowherds in and around this area took away the Mahaganapathi idol and started worshipping wherever they went and finally installing the idol here at Sowthadka. They were growing cucumber and during their worship started offering same to Lord Mahaganapathi of this temple. In Kannada, "sowthe" means cucumber and "adka" means meadow hence the name "Sowthadka". No temple structure has been allowed as per the traditional norms.
For more info on the temple, you can visit the temple website
Sowthadka Temple

Temple Address:
Southadka Sri Maha Ganapathi Kshetra,
Kokkada Post,
Belthangadi Taluk,
Dakshina Kannada district
Pin code: 574 198
Ph: 08251 - 254 351, 254 161

Pooja Timings : 7:15 am, 12:15 pm, 7:15 pm

Distances to Sowthadka from major places:
Dharmasthala: 20 km
Kukke Subrahmanya: 45 km
Mangalore: 82 km

How to reach Sowthadka by Road: One can reach Southadka, on the National Highway 48(Mangalore-Bangalore) from Uppinangady towards Bangalore, first left turn after Nellyadi, on Dharmasthala Road.

Route Map:(Click on the picture to view it in larger size)

Picture Courtesy: SowthadkaTemple.com

Vishwa Tulu Sammelano(World Tulu Convention) at Ujire in Dec 2009

Update: 19th December 2009, For viewing the photos of Vishwa Tulu Sammelano 2009 please visit here.

Vishwa Tulu Sammelano or World Tulu Convention in association with Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala and Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy will be held in Ujire near Dharmasthala from 10th to 13th December 2009.

World Tulu Convention logo

Before the Convention in December, talks/competitions/demos/exhibitions relating to Tulu language and Tulu Nadu will be held in several venues on the following dates.

Karkala -- Sept 19,20 - National workshop on Tulu
Bantwal -- October 10 - Riddles, Idioms and Customs in Tulu
Mangalore - October 31 - Debate on Commercial Aspects and Netravati River Diversion
Moodabidre - November 07 - Religious and Cultural Programmes
Udupi - November 21 - Jewels, Costumes, Indigenous Medicines
Puttur - November 28 - Folk games of Tulu Nadu
Kasaragod - November 29 - Dance forms of Southern Tulu Nadu

For more details, contact:
Secretary
Head Office, Vishwa Tulu Sammelano, Ujire
Phone : 08256 - 237801
Mobile : 94485 58583, 90083 61611

Also, you can visit the following links
Vishwa Tulu Sammelano - official website
First Vishwa Tulu Sammelan at Ujire - TOI Report
World Tulu Convention at Ujire in December - Deccan Herald Report

Manasaare Film Review

FYI : This is 200th post in Ee Prapancha.

Much awaited Kannada film Manasaare got released today. Film begins with song Ondu kanasu just like in Gaalipata. Neethu who was paired up with Diganth in Gaalipata, has acted in a guest role here. Whether it was to bring back the Gaalipata chemistry(which was by the way well received by the Kannada audience) here too? That is the question, director of the movie has to answer.

15-20 minutes from the beginning of the film is a good watch with comedy sequences featuring Diganth. But, soon the jovial mood in the film turns into a serious one. This continues for rest of the film canvas with tinges of comedy here and there.

Manohar(Diganth) is a jobless bachelor. He is in love with Bhamini(Neethu) but she deserts him for a well earning groom. Manohar being happy go lucky guy, never minds it. One night in Bangalore, Manohar is mistaken for a mental patient and taken away to a mental hospital in Malligepura in Kodagu. His efforts to prove himself sane prove futile. Even though he manages to escape from there, he comes back because of his love at first sight in the hospital on the day of escape! And now, he plans to elope with his lady love in the hospital van and of course, he succeeds too.

Photo Courtesy : Oneindia.in

Devika(Aindrita) who is also a mental patient, hates all men and her reaction towards them is to stab them. She, unaware of Manohar's motives tries to stab him, once she thinks that she has been kidnapped. She insists on returning to hospital and on her way back to hospital, spends 2 days with him and needless to say, love blooms. Also, Devika recovers to normal mental health. And now, when everything is going smooth in Manohar's life, hospital authorities come to know that Manohar is mistaken for Mahendra, another mental patient. This infuriates Devika, who thinks that Manohar is cheating her. Manohar is evicted out of the hospital and his future seems gloomy. Well, then Devika comes to know that Manohar is a good guy and they live happily ever after.

Script as you might have realized by now is weak. Predictable sequences mar the interest of the audience. Also, songs seems to have been stuffed. In a 2 hour movie, you can imagine how difficult it is to put 7 songs. In a way songs tries to lower the pace of the movie, which is otherwise fast paced. Also, several sequences appear unnatural - like, it is quite easy to escape out of the mental hospital and come back again! Bride(Bhamini) confessing her love to other guy(Diganth), taking some time off from the wedding reception! Manohar's uncle wearing patient's dress and climbing hospital wall, to see his future daughter-in-law!

Songs have been well shot but that solely, seems to be the success mantra of Gandhinagar nowadays. Diganth walks away with good performance. Dialogues in north Karnataka lingo are homorous and makes you laugh. Kudos to Raju Thalikote. At the end of the movie, I thought keeping only 3-4 songs with little more on-screen chemistry between Diganth and Aindritha would have made the film much better. What say, folks?

Manasaare Audio Review

To read the Kannada version click here.

After Gaalipata, director Yogaraj Bhat is gearing up for the release of his latest venture Manasaare. Manasaare literally means straight from heart in Kannada. Here is a first look on the audio of the film released recently.

Trinity of Mungaaru Male - Jayanth Kaykini, Mano Murthy and Yogaraj Bhat is back in Manasaare. Manasaare audio contains 7 songs. Except for one shloka in Sanskrit, lyrics for the remaining 6 songs is written by Kaykini and Bhat. 4 of them are slow tracks continuing the tradition of Mungaaru Male and Gaalipata - where majority of songs were so. ello maLeyaagideyendu tangaaLiyu hELutide(cool breeze is saying it has rained somewhere) is a solo sung by Sonu Nigam. Jayanth Kaykini seems to have hangover of Mungaaru Male. But well, that does seem only in the first line. Beautiful lyrics combined with Sonu's voice is a treat to listen. Glad to see Sonu pronouncing his Kannada correctly here. Music in the beginning of the song is amazing. Yogaraj Bhat has penned kaNNa haniyondige kenne maataaDide(cheek has a talk with tears) which has some new lines in lyrics and it is well sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Kay Kay. naa naguva modalEne(before I laugh), again by Bhat is also sung by Shreya Ghoshal. This song is yet another instance of Shreya's sweet voice.

Picture Courtesy : Kannadaaudio.com

Manasaare's title track naanu manasaare maruLanaagE iruvenu innu munde(I will be crazy to my heart's liking from now on) is less of music and more of singing abilities of Vikas Vashistha and Lakshmi Nagaraj. This song with small duration of about 2 minutes and 40 seconds has the potential of becoming a hit just like Kavithe song of Gaalipata did. After the melodious tunes of the above mentioned tracks, onde ondu nOTa saaku(one look is enough), a fast track does not impress. ondu kanasu khaalee peelee kaNNa munde heege oDutirabEku(one dream however crazy must be running in front of the eyes like this) written Jayanth Kaykini was the first song I liked in Manasaare. Reason for the liking may be since it was the first song I heard from Manasaare. Kunal Ganjawala who has proved his mettle singing fast tracks in Kannada has lended the voice along with Ananya Bhagat and Earl Edgar. Finally, Vijaya Prakash of Jai Ho fame has recited the shloka - sahanavavatu sahanav bhunattu. I am curious to know in which part of the film, Yogaraj has used this song. Newspapers have announced the release of Manasaare in next few weeks. Lets wait for that. All in all, Manasaare is sure to steal the hearts of Kannada music lovers. To listen to Manasaare songs visit Kannadaaudio.com.

Manasaare film info : -
Star Cast : Diganth, Aindritha
Music : Mano Murthy
Lyrics : Jayanth Kaykini, Yogaraj Bhat
Play Back Singers : Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Kay Kay, Kunal Ganjawala, Ananya Bhagat, Vikas Vashistha, Lakshmi Nagaraj, Earl Edgar
Director : Yogaraj Bhat
Producer : Rockline Venkatesh
Audio : Aditya Music

Financial Expert by R K Narayan

Financial Expert, a novel by well known writer R K Narayan is a good read. Like most of his novels, R K Narayan tells the story with homorous touch.

Plot: Story revolves around Margayya, who helps and advises poor villagers in getting loans from a Cooperative society. Before people getting loans allocated from the Cooperative society, he gives an advance amount for which he charges interest. These financial deeds are maintained in an accounts book by Margayya. Balu, Margayya's son is always upto some mischief. One fine day, in one of his playful acts, he dumps Margayya's accounts book into the gutter. Margayya is now unable to recover money from his clients as they insist on records in the accounts book. But Margayya earns wealth after various incidents like meeting up with Temple priest and Dr.Pal, a Socialogist. The events leading upto this is sure to tickle your funny bone. Dr.Pal is chiefly responsible for Margayya's success. Ironically, he along with Balu become responsible for Margayya's fall in the end.

Film Adaptation : There are few films which do justice to a popular book. This book's film adaptation in Kannada - Banker Margayya is one of those few. Though one cannot fully depict what the character is thinking in a film as in a book, I am sure even if you had read the book, you will equally enjoy the movie. Director T S Nagabharana has given attention to the details provided in the book, which makes you like the movie. With Lokesh, one of the finest actors in Kannada cinema, as Margayya you are in for a visual treat.