Modala Sala Kannada

Starring: Bhama, Yash, Rangayana Raghu, Tara, Sharan, Avinash, Vinaya Prasad
Director: Purushottham C. Somanathapura
Producer: Mallikarjun Gadag, Yogesh Narayan
Music Dir: V. Harikrishna
Lyricist: V. Nagendra Prasad, Kaviraj
Singers: Rajesh Krishnan, Anuradha Bhat, Srinivas, Sunitha Bhuparaj, Ranjith, Anuradha Sriram
Genre: Romance, Drama

Synopsis

?Modala Sala? means the first encounter, which happens at various times of one?s life. It is a story of two youngsters, both ideal children.
Karthik (Yash) has been brought up in the city, but has been instilled with good moral values. He goes to his home estate for the ritual of his mother?s death anniversary. There, he meets Deepu (Bhama), a college girl, who has been brought up lovingly by her parents (Rangayana Raghu and Tara) in a beautiful forest area of Karnataka, with a river and a spectacular waterfall. He first sees her when she jumps into a small lake. He thinks that she is committing suicide. He stops his car, but doesn?t put the brake on, and it crashes into a tree. But Karthik jumps into the lake to rescue her ? but she tells him that she?s swimming to get a lotus flower. She puts it behind his ear. He follows her. She is swimming with some children. He arranges to have his car repaired by Manju (Sharan), the local car-mechanic
Later, he helps a man who is knocked down from his motor-bike, which is wrecked. He discovers that it is Deepu?s father that he has helped. Her family accept his friendship, and he buys them a new motor-bike. They have a Board outside their house, which does not say ?beware of the Dog?, but instead, it says ?Preeti, Vishwas, Anabike? (Love, Trust, Humbleness). Karthik and Deepu fall deeply in love, but Deepu will not commit herself to marry Karthik, unless she gets her parents approval ? showing her to be an ideal daughter. Karthik tells his father (Avinash) on the phone that he is in love, and that the girl is just like his mother. Then he brings his father to meet Deepu and her parents. The father is happy with the girl, and agrees with Karthik that she is just like his mother was.
However, it turns out that forty years earlier, Deepu?s father, when he was young, was in love with the sister of of Karthik?s father, who was a young boy at the time. They were orphans, and had been adopted by a man in the village. At the time of the wedding, people said that the bride?s young brother was not her brother, but her son, and that she was the mistress of the man who had brought them up (who in fact regarded her like his sister). And that she was an immoral woman. The wedding was stopped, and she committed suicide by burning herself on the sacred flame ? and in revenge, the young brother destroyed Deepu?s grandfather?s house. Now he tells Deepu?s parents that he?ll only let his son marry Deepu, if they promise never to see their doughtier again, after the marriage?

Songs:

1. Maleye maleye
2. Modalasala
3. Love me or hate me
4. Prathama prathama
5. Modalasala manadolage

Released Year: 2010
Running Time: 140 minutes/Colour/Kannada

Review:

This film is the story of two young people, both from a good background, and well brought up, and well behaved, who fall in love. The cast are all well known to Kannada audiences, apart from the girl, Bhama, an established Malayalam actress, appearing in her first Kannada film. The boy is ?Rockstar? Yash, well known in Kannada films. He seeks the permission of her parents. Her father is very touchingly and lovingly played by Rangayana Raghu, as a change from the comedy and alcoholic roles I have seen him play in films (e.g. Duniya), showing his versatility as an actor. However it would be unfair to single out anyone in the cast, they are all excellent in their roles.

Deepu?s first song ?Maleye maleye? is a celebration of the first rain of the season. Karthik?s first song ?Modalasala? is a celebration of his first encounter with deepu, his first encounter with love: we see his well-known dancing skills. In the third song, ?Love me or hate me? Karthik sings to Deepu of his love for her. Then in the fourth song, ?Prathama prathama ?, Deepu sings of her modalasala, her first encounter with love.

What a problem the young couple face, because of enmity in the past between the two families. Is there an answer? There is ? an unusual answer. Watch this superb film to find out.

Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]