Cinema Oduta? Flopaagi Hoguta? Yaavanig Gothu?

Well, if you are wondering what’s with the line above, here’s the answer. Yaavanig Gothu is a track from the movie which translates to ‘who knows’. Will the film work or will it not, is a mystery for me. The producers, Yograj Bhat & Jayanna have already made their money and hence this might not be of real concern from a production point of view. However, I guess it’s time for Yograj Bhat to do some introspection. Sometimes, success hits one real hard. This seems to be the case with Bhat’s latest directorial venture, Paramathma, starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Deepa Sannidhi, Aindrita Ray & very reluctantly I would mention Ramya Barna.

 

I was eagerly waiting for this film as I thought Kannada cinema could not ask for a better combination at this point. Imagine Puneeth & Yougraj together? Havoc!! And hence, I decided, come what may, I would watch it the first day. The hall was full. Poli boys, family crowd and crazy girls like me had hit the multiplex to watch a Kannada film. Slightly unbelievable but yes, that’s the power that this couple brought to their distributors. The crowd went crazy when the credits rolled and said, Powerstar Puneeth Rajkumar. I too went mad! Whistles were aplenty. Eventually, the movie started with a narration.

 

Initially in the film, Bhat depicts an noise that an empty ‘dabba’ can make and hints at confusion that can last in one’s mind over reasoning. Well, he also gets a monk to say, ‘confusion is happiness’. I guess the first 30 minutes of the film, his audience thought the same. The hall was silent. Nobody bothered to react. The audience was confused. Nobody knew what they could expect in the next 2 hours. I personally hated the first few minutes. Horrible graphics, unwanted scenes and forced humor was the tone then. Yes, the stunt scenes were appreciated by the crowd, but I thought they were a force fit. I was hoping that my faith in Yograj Bhat would not let me down. Through all of this, let me tell you, I still loved Puneeth’s performance.

 

The film slowly picked pace and also got complicated. Being a diehard Mangalorean, I should have literally jumped up with joy when I heard the Mangalorean dialect. But that was not the case this time. Though 3 key actors – Avinash, Dattanna & Rangayana Raghu, speak my dialect, it did not excite me one bit. It just looked so forced. I must say, for the first time, I thought Yograj Bhat could have done a little more research, fine tuning and detailing. I found errors at every step. But then, I let it be. Concentration obviously now had already diverted from a expecting a great script & direction to just pure acting. I fell in love with Puneeth Rajkumar all over again. Aindrita was impressive as well. I have mixed opinions abour Deepa’s performance. And when it comes to Ramya, I don’t know why they have used her name along with the other two leading ladies. As far as the rest of the supporting cast goes, I wonder  why Bhat has wasted such great talent.

 

I had guessed the plot within the first 40 minutes and I was surprised that Yograj Bhat had made something so predictable. I didn’t want to be the only one whose excitement was killed, so I happily told my dad what he should expect eventually. Post that, we only concentrated on the camera work, production design, acting, music, lyrics and everything else but the main plot.

 

I must say, the production design and camera work are great. They do live up to the standards of your expectation. Music is good enough. Somehow, I would still wish he had gone ahead with Mano Murthy. Nevertheless, I’m not complaining. When it comes to lyrics, I could very easily identify the songs that Yograj Bhat had penned. Again, it seemed like a forced attempt at showcasing one’s humor. I also could guess that it had to be Jayant Kaikini who had penned the two melodies.

 

I would not tell you to hit the screens within the first week. Ya, go when you have the time. May be in a week or two. Else, it might not be running! You will love Puneeth. You will love Aindrita. You may or may not like Deepa. You will have a good time listening to comments that the audience would pass if you have a full house. You might be waiting for the film to wind up. Yes, you will surely wonder what’s wrong with Yograj Bhat.

 

(P.S: I am secretly hoping he does not go the Sunil Kumar Desai way. Right now, I feel his arrogance & attitude is influencing his creativity & intelligence. Hope you have a speedy recovery, Mr. Bhat).