'Manasaare' - fresh content, great visuals, lilting music

By R.G. Vijayasarathy, Film: 'Manasaare'; Director: Yogaraj Bhat; Cast: Diganth, Aindrita Ray, Neenasam Aswath, Balaji Manohar, Raju Thalikote and Pawan Kumar; Music: Mano Murthy; Rating: ***1/2.

Yograj Bhat's much-awaited "Manasaare" comes as a relief for Kannada film audiences, who have been subjected to a series of remakes and badly made films this year.

The film has lot of freshness in content and weaves in comedy well to narrate a love story with a different background and visuals.

"Manasaare" has strong visual, music and lyrical content. Director Bhat has added some colour to the movie by writing fun-filled dialogues. He has extracted the best performance from his team of experienced actors and fresh faces.

The film sustains interest for its interesting narration, though it slows sown considerably in the second half. Though the film may not meet the huge expectations it had built, it proves to be a better offering because of its content and perfect performances.

The film has a classy look mainly because of its presentation, but its dialogues will appeal to the masses.

Many may argue that the climax is a bit ordinary compared to the large span of the film, but Bhat has tried to convey a positive message through this film. The beauty is that the message comes across in a refined style when the lovers walk out holding their hands together.

The story is about Mahendra, who is jilted by his lover in favour of a rich software engineer. A frustrated Mahendra, who is always looked down by his uncle's family, goes out with a friend for a booze party. While walking on the road, he is mistakenly captured by the security staff of a rehabilitation centre for the mentally challenged. And the doctors even create fresh records to prove that Mahendra is suffering from a mental disorder.

One day, Mahendra meets Devaki, a patient in the hospital, and falls for her. He escapes with Devaki in a hospital vehicle and spends three-four days with her in an isolated place. Love blossoms and Devaki narrates her tragic flashback to Mahendra. She also forces him to take her back to hospital.

Meanwhile, Mahendra is released from the hospital after the actual missing patient is found. But Devaki thinks he lied to her though she later realises his true love and they move ahead in life.

Diganth is absolutely brilliant and may well surprise even his ardent fans. He can be groomed to be even better in future and he proves to be a good dancer too.

Aindrita Ray proves she's more than a glamour doll in this film. In the role of Devaki, she is very expressive and looks vulnerable. Talented artist Raju Thalikote returns to the Kannada film industry with a bang. Balaji Manohar looks menacing as the villainous doctor.

Cinemetographer Sathya Hegde and music director Mano Murthy have to be complimented for their exceptional contribution. The editing and art work add strength to the movie. "Ello Maleyaagidhe Endhu", "Kanna Haniyondhige Kenne Maathaadidhe" and "Naa Naguva Modalene" are superb compositions.

The fantastic visuals, melodious music and Yogaraj Bhat's dialogues are the high points of "Manasaare".