Saturday Aug 01 2009, Bangalore

Male Barali Manju Irali

Genre - Romance

Directed by - Vijayalakshmi Singh

Music by - Mano Murthy

Casts - Nag Kiran, Jai Jagadeesh, Umashri, Mukhyamantri Chandru, Hema Chaudhary, Sadhu and Sharan

Starring - Srinagara Kitty, Parvathy Menon

'Male Barali Manju Irali' is an ordinary love story set in the background of rain and mist. But what makes the film watchable is some fine performances, nice songs and brilliant cinematography.

'MBMI' can be compared to many films such as 'Yeh Dillagi' wherein two brothers fall for the same girl. Here, Vishwas (Srinagara Kitty) and Prem (Nagkiran) fall for their manager's daughter Sneha (Parvathi Menon). Sneha loves Vishwas, an introvert; but Prem, a fashion photographer, is in love with Sneha. In a quick turn of events, another girl called Nayana (Haripriya), who was engaged to Vishwas, returns.

Director Vijayalakshmi Singh had described her film as a “feel-good love story” and she has kept her word. Her selection of artistes, locations and the background score have gelled perfectly. The main lacuna of this film is the slow pace, especially, in the first half.

Parvathy as Sneha steals the show. She himself has dubbed for her character. Sreenagara Kitty is impressive, especially in the climax sequence. Nagkiran is sober, as usual. Veteran artistes like Jai Jagadeesh, Umashri, Mukhyamantri Chandru, and Hema Chaudhary have done their jobs neatly. Though Sadhu and Sharan do the usual buffoonery, it's good to see them play serious stuff in the second half of the film.

Some of the visuals by Ajay Vincent are spellbinding. Mano Murthy shines in background score this time