"Rama Rama Re" Kannada film review - Earthy, humorous, and thought provoking; a good road-film about life...

So, what was all the hype about, I was wondering! And joined the bandwagon. And am glad I did, for after Thithi, here is another Kannada film that tugs at your heartstrings.

The USP of any movie that dwells on serious subjects like life is the humour. The tale, by itself, seemed to be simple, but what captivated me for hours even after I left the movie-hall is the way the director has narrated it on screen. D Satya Prakash does show that he is raw, but with good comics and not-very-preachy dialogues, shares his views on life, casteism, money, power and such things fairly decently.

This is a good road film, exploring life and characters in a jeep. A movie on this genre is not the easiest to make, but our filmmaker does show panache in the way he puts across his views on life, capitalising on his experience as a screenplay and dialogue writer, before taking up direction himself.

Another 'different' thing about the film is Siddagangayya Kambal's dialogues. Not to mention the lyrics that are all story-telling types and keeps the narrative flowing, by the director (DSP) himself. And Vasuki Vaibhav's music matches well with it.

The strongest point of the film is possibly it's locations. The crew is believed to have scouted over 8000 km before finalizing on Vijayapura. Cinematographer Lavith also deserves special mention.

The length of the film is just perfect. I also smiled that the end credits rolled shortly and sweetly, as it is normally over four minutes, otherwise.

Nobin Paul's background music does get loud at times, but never shrilling.

Nata Raju and K Jayaram stood out for me amongst the cast, and Dharma is also effective, especially when he gets into character as the reels progress. Bimbashri Ninasam and veteran Radha Ramachandra are sincere, too.

There are some performances that are below par; and that is what our Sandalwood directors should not compromise on, and learn from (say) a Vishal Bharadwaj and give more importance to workshops, prior to the movie-shooting schedule.

On a lighter note, there is this song in the end, Kelu Krishna, though Rama Rama Re is the movie name. It is all good though, I guess, since Rama and Krishna are considered to be the avatars of Lord Vishnu. :)

My verdict: 3.5 out of 5, especially for the very touching sequences about human bonding post intermission, which had impact and left me with more than a twinkle in the eye.

Comments

Sridhar said…
I disagree with the view that some performances are below par. Because you have not stated who has not given a good performance. You have mentioned that the lead Actors have done well. The other roles are just minor. So I am wondering who has not acted well.
Sekhar said…
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your view/comment. I have mentioned in the previous line prior to that remark about the good performances - "Nata Raju and K Jayaram stood out for me amongst the cast, and Dharma is also effective, especially when he gets into character as the reels progress. Bimbashri Ninasam and veteran Radha Ramachandra are sincere, too." Dharma tries too hard to be funny, in the beginning. The character actors from the girl's family, the two drunkards, and the army man husband - to name a few - could have done better.