Monday Dec 29 2008, Bangalore

‘Mungaru Male’ again, sans life!

Genre - Romance

Directed by - Preetham Gubbi

Produced by - Murali Mohan, Pramod, Santhosh

Music by - Manomurthy

Casts - Koodavalli Chandrashekhar, Padmaja Rao

Starring - Kiran, Suhaasi

Everyone had thought that 'Haage Summane' (means just like that), directed by Preetham Gubbi, would be a sequel to 'Mungaaru Male'. But it turns out that the film is 'Mungaaru Male' itself!

Scriptwriter Preetham Gubbi, cameraman Krishna, music director Manomurthy, editor Deepu.S.Kumar and lyricist Jayanth Kaikini, who had combined to make the blockbuster 'Mungaaru Male', have come up with a film very much like the earlier one. Even the hero’s name is the same- Preetham.

The protagonist, desperately in love with a girl, goes in search of her. He faces many hurdles on the way before he succeeds in securing his love.

Similarities aside, 'Haage Summane' cannot be called another 'Mungaaru Male'. The narration is not smooth and the film lacks a convincing storyline. The wafer-thin story and the slow and boring narration mar the film.

Kiran, who is touted as the new Ganesh, is the biggest minus as far as ‘Haage Summane’ is concerned. The character of Preetham is bubbly and naughty, but Kiran looks rather sobre in his portrayal. There is not much of variation in his dialogue delivery. Suhaasi looks gorgeous on screen. 'Edakallu Guddada Mele' Chandrashekhar, Sharath Babu, K S L Swamy and Yamuna have done their bits with ease.

Manomurthy's songs are hummable. Krishna's camera work is a sheer delight to watch. Art work by Mohan Kere also needs a special mention.