Luv U Alia (Kannada)
Director: Indrajit Lankesh
Cast: P. Ravichandran, Bhumika Chawla, Chandan Kumar, Sangeetha Chauhan, Sadhu Kokila
Expectedly, Indrajit Lankesh’s Luv U Alia does not shy away from being flamboyant. With every frame, Indrajit constructs a specific kind of spectacle — an upper class, glossy one full of revving bikes, exotic locations and five star hotels. However, there is very little strength in the script of the film to carry these grand frames successfully until the end. What stays with the audience at the end of the film is a memory of how the star-studded cast looked and the colourful wallpaper-like locations. Not to leave behind, some cringe-worthy humour and a needless item number that one can only wish one could forget.
Kiran (Chandan Kumar) arranges or breaks marriages, depending on what you prefer. In fact, we are never allowed to forget that ‘Marriages are made in heaven, arranged by Kiran’, a phrase that is not only repeated through the film but also one that summarises the entire plot. He falls in love with Alia (Sangeetha Chauhan) who is the daughter of Ravi (Ravichandran), a doctor and Bhumi (Bhumika), a dancer. Alia’s parents are divorced and Alia, despite being in love with Kiran, does not want to marry him. She worries that like her parents, her marriage too would end in a divorce. It is here that Kiran steps in, uses his marriage broker skills and attempts to bring Alia’s parents together.
Kiran is no average marriage broker though. He flies between Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai every day of the week to reconcile Ravi and Bhumi’s differences. He even dresses as a female nurse (no one knows why) and works in the same hospital as Ravi to get close to him. Interestingly, Ravi himself points out to Kiran that he need not have worn ‘cheap make-up and costume’ and could have just walked up to him normally. We also see unnecessary scenes featuring Sadhu Kokila delivering boorish and offensive dialogues that are just unfunny. By this time though, we have seen most of the film and the resolution still seems to be nowhere in sight. It is then that we realise that the director, especially in the second half, has nothing much to say and hence delays the resolution.
Indrajit tries to cash in on themes like the sanctity of the marriage and the value of a family but only addresses these concepts superficially. Luv U Alia could have been in any language for there is nothing that anchors it in Karnataka except for the fact that the characters speak in Kannada. Of course, there are some references to Mandya strewn in but that is about it.
An item number with Sunny Leone and Srujan Lokesh opens the film and makes no attempt to fit in with the rest of the film. It could very well be a trailer song for any other film.
Ravichandran and Bhumika essay their role with ease. Chandan Kumar is a little too enthusiastic but performs well. Sangeetha Chauhan too fits her part in the film.
Indrajit also conducts an interview with actor Sudeep where they discuss marriage, the roles of a husband and a father. Parts of this interview are inserted in the beginning and the middle and seem to be an attempt at merging the real and the reel.
Luv U Alia is flamboyant but vacuous.
