Chatrigalu Saar Chatrigalu
Kannada (U/A) ***
Director: S Narayan
Cast: Ramesh Arvind, S Narayan, Mohan, Umashri and others
So, the con trio return with the third instalment in the Kurigalu Saar series as “Chatrigalu Saar Chatrigalu”.
The trio are again struggling to wriggle out of situations not entirely of their making while also thinking of making a quick buck along the way. The situations bring to mind similar slapsticks from up North and a nagging irritation over the levels of crassdom the screenplay descends into.
But this hurdle is easily overcome — after all, it is the “in, cool” thing these days, with these heroes among those who helped the trend develop and find various expressions among today’s film makers, this week’s “Parari” being the latest example.
Once sensibilities are suspended, “Chatrigalu...” provides loads of gags which the audience sometimes cannot enjoy as the heroes hurry from one reaction to another. Still, Ramesh Arvind gets full marks for his understated comedy while it is Umashri who leads the women brigade, both in performance and style. The three young ladies are no match for the veteran who paired up with comedians like N S Rao, Umesh and others to give several rib-ticklers earlier.
“Chatrigalu...” also has a fair sprinkling of actors known for their prominent funny bones — Sharapanjara Shivaram (a pale shadow of his heydays), Rangayana Raghu (whose performance barely registers), Mukhyamantri Chandru (quite effective in a short role), Sadhu Kokila (who gets some of the best lines) and Bullet Prakash, who is mostly loud and little else.
S Narayan and Mohan do their job well and among the girls, Sanatani and newcomer Sushma Raj impress while Manasi gets to screech here and there. Pavitra Gowda’s is strictly a non-show.
Music complements the film’s tone and Narayan’s lyrics are drowned out in the beats. Jagadish Wali’s camerawork is adequate while Lingaraju’s scissors may have also led to the scenes ending rather prematurely.
“Chatrigalu...” still works, mainly because underneath all the sex-laced dialogues, there are still some gems to be found. It’s a laughing matter, after all.
