Tuesday Dec 02 2008, Bangalore

'Ganga Cauvery': Terribly boring!

Directed by - Vishnukanth

Produced by - Venkatappa

Music by - K Kalyan

Casts - Ananth Nag, Ramesh Bhatt, Chitra Shenoy, Roopa Devi and others

Starring - Arjun, Mahee, Mallika Kapoor

What makes 'Ganga Cauvery' a special film is certainly the camera work of H.C.Venu and the hummable music by K.Kalyan. If the narration and performances also had matched the levels achieved by the technical department, then 'Ganga Cauvery' would have been one of the memorable films of the year.

'Ganga Cauvery' doesn't have a great story to boast of. The film moves on the lines of the late Raj Kapoor's 'Henna'. Arjun, born to wealthy parents from Kodagu district, goes to the Himalayas for a photo shoot. He meets with an accident and is saved by a village girl Ganga. He falls in love with her and promises to marry her. But he is already engaged to a girl called Cauvery in his hometown. Whom does he prefer among Ganga and Cauvery is the crux of the film.

Director Vishnukanth himself has penned the story and screenplay of the film, but of course by mixing sequences from many films. Though the film is better than the present crop of films and can be good for a family viewing, the film is terribly boring. The film is quite predictable from the beginning to end. The narration is dead slow except for the climax.

The performances of the lead artistes leave much to be desired. Newcomer Akshay is good in action sequences, but very poor in emotional scenes. Of the two heroines, it is Mahi who creates a bit of impression. Mallika Kapoor is a total waste. Veteran artistes like Anant Nag, Ramesh Bhatt, Tara, Roopa Devi and Chitra Shenoy have done their bit. Sharan is irritating.

H.C.Venu is brilliant behind the camera. Kalyan shines not only in composition but also in lyrics.

Watch it if you enjoy watching slow films.