MAINE PYAR KIYA - puthiyacinema.com , MAINE PYAR KIYA REVIEW

It's not often that someone who won a National Award for directing an offbeat film like 'Advaitham' gets two releases in quick succession, both the releases mainstream ones. Pradeep Maadugula is back with Maine Pyar Kiya, and like in his previous film 'Billa-Ranga', he seems to commit serious errors in narration, although the occasional flashes of creativity keep us engaged, on again and off again. In Billa-Ranga, we saw two bizarrely-behaving youngsters of poor IQ levels being drawn into, take a breath, light-touch social activism, only to escape into puerility and boozing in quick succession. In this film, a good storyline is spoiled as the narration is reduced to a caricature when a coming-of-age guy realizes his mistake and whose atoning action helps an emotionally turbulent man in his 30s come full circle gives way to, take a breath, Posani Krishna Murali's meaningless episode. It looks like the director needs to reinvent his style of story-telling! Naveen (Pradeep) of 'Billa-Ranga' fame is a project lead in a software company. He is urbane and suave sometimes, quirky and juvenile sometimes, and takes life quite lightly. Having been behind his HR personnel (Komal Jha in a cameo), he comes across as someone who doesn't take relationships seriously. This is when Shalini's (Isha Talwar) re-entry into his life changes him and before he knows, he is in love with her. There is a reason why Naveen feels anxious whenever Isha Talwar tries to remind her first meeting with him. It's unimaginable for Naveen if Isha walks out after she comes to know who he is. That does happen finally and the rest of the story is about how he wins her back. Although there are a few well-narrated/executed scenes here and there, the film doesn't make an impression overall. The director's penchant for making his film look light-veined and even hatke, robs the feel. There is a good amount of focus on portraying in a mellowed and measured way Babai Bharat's psychological turnaround, but apart from that brief show of Naveen's repentance, his side of the story is not adequately fleshed out. Instead of a pointless and ridiculous Posani-Mahesh Kathi episode, something that would have served to maintain the intensity level would have been helpful. The milieu does help the director in portraying an otherwise not-so-novel story with a special directorial touch. The flashbacks take place in a semi-urban landscape whereas in the present, the characters are in sophisticated environs. Although the director uses this contrast to an extent, he doesn't go the whole hog. The behavior of one set of characters (hero's friends) is used to splash the present with a retro smell but here too the narrator thanklessly bank on quirkiness. In a film where scenes like certain young boys discovering the joy of watching blue film in a VCR are treated in a bland fashion, a good one is as rare as an oasis in a desert. The whole of second half has two profound scenes (Bharat's meeting with Malathi, and Bharat's practical-minded sermon to Shalini) before the climax becomes ridiculously boring. The performances are, to be fair, nice. Pradeep delivers an okay output but he will be adjudged a good actor only the day when his tall built is dwarfed by a mature performance. Isha Talwar is drop-dead gorgeous but her Katrina Kaif-like beauty is wasted in lifeless numbers. The rest of the bunch pass muster, barring Posani, who is thankfully un-gay but spouts all forgettable crap. The songs come with a heavy Kollywood influence (since the film is a bilingual, it could help the film sell in TN). Verdict: A weak narration.