Yet another drab love story

Muttina Maleyali (Kannada)

Director: Manju Sagar

Cast: Manju Sagar, Ramanithu Chaudhary, Sharat Lohitashwa, Anand, Jeevan

With the success of

Mungaru Male , in which the first rain of the monsoon is a metaphor for love, filmmakers have taken a liking to affix or suffix ‘male’ (rain) in the movie title to give an impression to the audience that their films also have the kind of magic created by Mungaru Male . Notable examples are Maleyali Jotheyali, Male, Mungaru Male-2, Male Nilluvavarege .

A word of caution for the audience; no such magic is recreated in Muttina Maleyali which has the tagline The Monsoon Mohabbat . Though Yogaraj Bhat exemplified human emotions through showers in the scintillating scenic beauty of Malnad, Manju Sagar failed to exploit either the rain or the verdant nature of Chikkamagaluru region in his debut venture.

The movie opens with the naxal issue. But, it is not a story of a naxalite. The protagonist is a ‘journalist by profession’, but the story does not deal with journalism. It is yet another drab love story.

The director portrays naxals as gun-totting kidnappers. His argument to persuade them to join the mainstream looks amateurish. In the end, the naxal leader acts just like an underworld don.

There is nothing great about the story. Ishanth (Manju Sagar), a journalist, falls in love with Ibbani (Ramanitu Chaudhary), when he goes to interview a naxal leader in Malnad region. He wins her heart.

Both Manju Sagar and Ramanithu Chaudhary have parroted dialogues without proper emotions.

Other characters in the film are inconsequential. Cinematography (Satish and Pradeep Gandhi) is not up to the expectations. However, there are some soothing melodies such as Haage Summane , Nee Olavina Yenu Helu Mellane , but their impact is limited.MURALIDHARA KHAJANE