Kalgejje

Heart scores over ambition

A title like Kalgejje conjures up soft, romantic images a la Gejje Naada or even Chaitrada Premanjali. This one is a love story with familial pressure etc thrown in. But the elaborate set pieces for which musicals were once famous for, are glaringly conspicuous in Kalgejje.

The director’s struggle to piece together sequences logically can be one reason, lowering of expectations of the crew can be another. Four songs out of the eight pass muster compared with Venus Murthy’s fine camerawork. Perhaps, the camerawork is the sole highlight of the film. Scenes featuring Anant Nag and Sumitra stand out as sore thumbs - the rest of the screenplay cannot match up to the levels the senior actors summon.

There’s also foolish ignorance in the characterisation of the heroine’s mother and her family’s interaction with her. All these could have been forgiven and forgotten if there was even a semblance of a musical. Instead, this patchwork quilt offers only visual treat, but no real comfort. Roopika is turning into a reliable performer while Vishwas would do well to acquire some seriousness in his outlook.

Rangayana Raghu treads the thin line between ludicrity and credibility. Comedy turns into a farce. The sounds of this anklet do not resonate.