'Melody Drama' Movie Review: A Soulless Musical Journey With Missed Redemption
express news service
Mistakes are inevitable in life, but redemption is always at hand. This is the main theme of the melodic game. However, watching the film, one cannot help but notice the director's faults, and the road to his redemption could be a long time coming.
Drama Melody starts with the beautiful pictures of Jog Falls and the beauty of the landscape reminds me of Mungaru Male for a moment. However, when it comes to this movie, it falls far short of classic status. Melody Drama relies heavily on music and voice acting in various intervals, with little emphasis on dialogue interaction.
The story revolves around Kartika (Satya Shraya), who believes that love and relationships are based on faith. Seeking solace in life, travel. On the other hand, Hita's bride-to-be (Supriya Satyanarayan) is confused and runs away from the wedding hall. He seeks help from Karthik who covers his face with a mask. Though Karthik carries her, fate brings them back together.
Their journey started in Mysuru and took them to Madiker, Koppu, Hubbali and finally Bijapur and at some point their identity and marital status were revealed. During this journey, the director takes us back in time through flashbacks and it becomes clear that Karthik is deeply in love with Hita. Although Hita likes him, she is practical and explains that she cannot marry him because she does not want to go against her mother's wishes and decides to marry the son of her father's best friend, Sanju. However, at the wedding hall, things take a turn and she ends up marrying Karthik.
Hita is happy with Karthik as a husband but disgusted with his profession as a rescue agent. She wants him to quit his job, and he ends up owning a car repair business. However, when Hita finds out that Karthik is the reason why his mother's chosen boy (Sanju) doesn't show up at the wedding hall, differences arise and the couple separates.
Will this trip help them reconcile or will Hita return to her longing for her mother? The response leads to a cold and unsatisfying climax.
Director Manju Karthik tried to live up to the name 'Melody-Drama' by turning it into a musical but got carried away with the process. Through his songs he tries to convey the entirety of the film. Despite having seven soulful songs written by Kiran Ravindranath, folk singers Sonu Nigama, Kailash Kher and Palak Mukhhal voicing various songs and lyrics written by Jayant Kaikini, Vee Nagendra Prasad and Dhananjay Ranjan, they don't pack much impact. soulful. Although the songs are great, the repetitive backgrounds and over-the-top songs get in the way of the storytelling.
The director's vision to portray love and relationship in the story is also commendable, but the execution is really messy. The first half of the movie mostly revolves around Karthik chasing after Hita and her journey, which is nonsense. The focus of the entire film is in the second half, where the secrets of two people who initially seem strange, like husband and wife, are revealed too soon. The director tried to introduce twists, but failed to develop them further.
It was hinted that various characters would meddle in the story, such as Rajesh Nataranga who played a military officer and added a father-son relationship, and a child actress who played the younger version of Hita. The prominence of this character is justified towards the end when Karthik fulfills Hita's dream of seeing Gol Gumbaz, which he revealed to his father as a child. Another character, Anu Prabhakar, plays a local don, but his presence has no other logical explanation than to add fuel to the feud that unfolds between the couple. Rangayana Raghu makes a guest appearance as a drifter, again to no avail. The same goes for Chetan Chandra's inexplicable cameo.
The film's biggest weakness lies in its leading role. Satya, who plays the lead role in this touching love story, fails to bring depth to his character. Whether happy or sad, the representation remains rigid, making it difficult for viewers to connect with it. Coming from a television series, Supriya struggles to capture the nuances of a movie screen. Although she got the chance to showcase her talents and significant performances on screen, she failed to convey their romance effectively. Sometimes the stories get mixed up, leaving the viewer unsure of what is going on. Bala Rajawadi and Lakshmi Siddaya supported the film in their respective roles, but their efforts did not contribute significantly.
The only good thing about Melody of Drama is the cinematography by Manu DB Halley, which beautifully captures the stunning aerial views and landscapes of Karnataka. But other than that, the movie feels soulless in terms of music, plot, and character development. It is recommended that you skip this musical journey and come back for the mesmerizing experience of watching Mungaru Male.
dramatic melody
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Actors: Sathya Shraya, Suprita Satyanarayan, Rangayana Raghu, Anu Prabhakar, Rajesh Nataranga
