Yogaraj Bhat revived the romance genre in Kannada cinema with Mungaru Maleand Gaalipata. In his prime, the director wrote love stories with great emotional depth.
Once the law of averages caught up with him, Bhat experimented with concepts(Panchatantra) but lost his control over filmmaking. With Manada Kadalu, the filmmaker is back to his favourite theme. The movie is a love triangle with a difference, as it offers the audience a heavy dose of philosophy.
The film’s protagonist, Sumukha, is an MBBS dropout. The sudden demise of a staff member in his university rattles him, making him lose trust in medical science.
Circumstances lead the protagonist to a tourist spot situated on a fictitious island inspired by the Murud-Janjira Fort in Maharashtra, where he meets an archeologist (Anjali Anish) and a discontinued cricketer (Rashika Shetty), with whom he falls in love.
Manada Kadalu (Kannada)
Director: Yogaraj Bhat
Cast: Sumukha, Anjali Anish, Rashika Shetty, Rangayana Raghu, Dattanna
Runtime: 154 minutes
Storyline: Sumukha, an MBBS dropout, pursues love interest Rashika. However, circumstances leads to self-discovery and realisation of life’s value.
Humour, one of Bhat’s biggest strengths, is tepid in Manada Kadalu. The lead characters are just another iteration of the quirky and talkative people seen in Bhat’s films. Yet, the love triangle is appealing, thanks to the energetic performance from Sumukha, Rashika and Anjali.
Anjali Anish and Sumukha in the film.
| Photo Credit:
D Beats Music World/YouTube
Manada Kadalu delves into the meaning of death, a concept touched upon by the director in his previous movies (Gaalipata, Paramatma). In his latest film, he goes deep into the idea of life and death. The problem with Manada Kadalu is the director’s intention to convey too many things hurriedly. We are served with lessons on history, the generation gap, relationships, and philosophy, making it too much to digest after a point.
It is admirable to see a seasoned filmmaker attempting to reinvent his pet theme. The issue lies in Bhat’s writing, which is very apprehensive of the attention-deficit audience. Due to this, the director has alienated his loyal supporters, who once admired his ability to create memorable characters.
The film’s technical department makes up for the convoluted story. J Shivakumar’s production design and Santhosh Rai Pathaje’s cinematography is jaw-dropping, transporting us to a mesmerising world. The evergreen combination of Bhat and V Harikrishna has delivered a melodious album, with Naguthalide and Hoo Dumbiya Katheya being the best.
If you compare the film with Bhat’s previous projects (Garadi and Karataka, Damanaka), Manada Kadalu is quite an engaging movie. However, if you are looking for something close to the best works of this filmmaker, you will be a tad disappointed.
Manada Kadalu is currently running in theatres
Published – March 28, 2025 06:09 pm IST
