JOIN USDil Rangeela
Kannada (U/A) ***
Director: Preetham Gubbi
Cast: Ganesh, Rachita Ram, Priyanka Rao and others
Having stag and hen parties before taking “the” plunge is common these days. Which can't exactly be fun if spent without friends. But this guy gets to spend his last days of freedom, all by himself, in Goa.
Sun-kissed sands, bums, shoulders, hair, feni and what not... He runs into a Kannadathi who also is hot, pretty, cute.... She catches him fibbing time and again to his girl back home, her own sister and all. Then again, the guy helps her overcome her heartbreak and move on... till the night of “drunken mistake”.
Hero returns to his girl and finds out that she is best buds with the one he met in Goa! Time for grimace and sympathy? Nah... For, Dil Rangeela stops taking flight and returns home via the usual safe route of “seeing” and realising the errors of one's ways, misunderstandings and reunion.
So, what's new? Dil Rangeela is “different” because of its treatment. Preetham keeps it light but not to the point of being silly (it's the era of superficiality, mind it!). There's freedom for the actors to explore and round out their characters.
A situation which could easily go south. With a cast that has Dattatreya, Bhargavi Narayan, Achyut Kumar, Rangayana Raghu, Priyanka Rao and led by Ganesh and Ruchita Ram, Dil Rangeela is mostly a cute urban drama, with love taking a not-so-convenient second place.
The director places emphasis on the conflict between prioritising relationships and money, which comes across all right. A story that could easily not have survived disappointment and boredom, succeeds in entertaining, thanks mainly to the dialogues by Prashant Rajappa.
Venu's camera brings Goa closer to the viewer not just in terms of geography but also by way of carrying the story into their minds and hearts. Arjun Janya's music has a strong ‘tapanguchi’ feel to it, which the “paddes” definitely enjoy. Of late, Kannada heroines are making a habit of stealing the thunder from under their leading men’s noses.
Rachita continues the good work, going toe-to-toe with Ganesh, who looks fabulous and delivers a seasoned performance. Priyanka Rao needs a coach. Fast. To channelise her potential properly.
Even without expectations, it can safely be said Preetham and Ganesh could have avoided the lone fight scene, the sole sore point of the film. For, Ganesh and Rachita light up the screen pretty well.
With words beeped out and bikinis becoming commonplace, today’s families have little to worry out while watching Dil Rangeela.