'Bhagyadha Balegaara' full of regressive ideas

By R.G. Vijayasarathy, Film: 'Bhagyadha Balegaara'; Director: Sai Prakash; Cast: Shivaraj Kumar, Navya Nair and Shobha Raghavendra; Music: Ilayaraja; Rating: **

Director Sai Prakash's "Bhagyadha Balegaara" is a love story revolving around a bangle seller in a village. The narrative of the rural-based film belongs to the 1950s era and present day audiences may find it difficult to accept movies that present regressive ideas in the name of tradition and culture.

It would be difficult to connect the story and situations of a film like "Bhagyadha Balegaara" to anything contemporary. And the movie ends on a tragic note.

It's time Kannada filmmakers like Sai Prakash came to terms with reality and stopped making movies on age-old themes.

The highpoint of the film is Ilayaraja's as he gives some really melodious tunes. The background score is also good. But the cinematography fails to make any impression.

The story revolves around bangle seller Chennaiah, who not only sells bangles to villagers, but also solves many of their family problems. He predicts the future of his customers through palmistry.

But despite being pressurised, the bangle seller does not read his lover's hand in the fear of coming to know of any untoward incident that might occur in her life. On the other hand, his stepmother conspires to stop Chennaiah's marriage with his lover.

Shivaraj Kumar, who has performed his role with ease, suits the character and portrays the emotions effectively. Navya Nair also does a great job of her role. However, some of the other actors tend to overact.

"Bhagyadha Balegaara" should ideally have been made during 1950s. But for some good performances and melodious songs, the film fails to make any impact.