Mungaru Male

One thing that struck me and left me awestruck as I watched "Mungaru Male" recently was the quality of the lyrics, the absolutely stunning locations and some really good music. I had to pinch myself to make sure I am watching a Kannada movie. Its been really a long periods of drought for the Kannada film industry after which its seen the "Mungaru Male" and man I am so excited about it...

So What made Mungaru male so popular?? A mindless story line and plots(strictly my opinion) has been rescued by brilliant lyrics by Yograj Bhat and Jayanth Kaykani, amazing music by Mano Murthy and stunning beauty of Malenad region/ Jog falls. One has to appreciate the direction of Yograj Bhat, who made the decision to shoot the movie in our own state instead of hunting for locations abroad and man!! what a job he has done. In Shri Kuvempu's "Malenadina Chitragalu", which is a compilation of stories, he writes the following about Malenad in a poem called "Malenadige Ba"

ಮಲೆನಾಡಮ್ಮನ ಮಡಿಲಿನಲಿ
ಕರಿ ಮುಗಿಲೊಡಲಿನಲಿ
ಮನೆಮಾಡಿರುವೆನು ಸಿಡಿಲಿನಲಿ
ಮಿ೦ಚಿನ ಕಡಲಿನಲಿ
ಬನಗಳ ಬೀಡು
ಚೆಲ್ವಿನ ನಾಡು
ಮೋಹನ ಭೀಷಣ ಮಲೆನಾಡು

ನೇಸರು ಮೂಡುವ ಪ೦ಪಿಹುದು
ಮುಳುಗುವ ಸೊ೦ಪಿಹುದು
ತಿ೦ಗಳ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಕಾ೦ತಿಯಿದೆ
ಇರುಳಿನ ಶಾ೦ತಿಯಿದೆ
ಕೋಗಿಲೆಯಿಲ್ಲಿ
ಲಾವುಗೆಯಿಲ್ಲಿ
ಗಿಳಿಗಳ ನುಣ್ಣರವಿಹುದಿಲ್ಲಿ!

ಮರೆಯುತ ಹರಿಯುವ ತೂರಯಿಹುದು
ತು೦ಬಿದ ಕೆರೆಯಿಹುದು
ಹಾಡುತಲೇರಲು ಬೆಟ್ಟವಿದೆ,
ಬಣ್ಣಿಸ ಘಟ್ಟವಿದೆ
ಬಿಸಿಲಿದೆ, ತ೦ಪಿದೆ
ಹೂಗಳ ಕ೦ಪಿದೆ
ಹಸುರಿನ, ಹಣ್ಣುಗಳಿ೦ಪಿನೆದೆ.....

reading this simple yet absolutely beautiful poem, you wonder what is not there in our own Malenad and this is what the movie has done the best, portray the natural beauty of our state and the scene shot at Jog falls, Holy cow!! that's probably the best promotion for Jog falls I have ever seen. If our tourism department had spent even a tenth of the effort to promoted our state as they have done in the movie, we would have had lot more influx of tourist than what we currently have.

Another feature that was a highlight in the movie was the lyrics...after really long time have we seen some genuinely beautiful lyrics written. Love those lyrics in Anisuthide, Araluthiru and the title song Mungara Maleye rocks.. add to these brilliant lyrics the voices of Sonu Nigam, Shreya Goshal and sweet sounding music by Mano Murthy, what you get to see is sheer magic.

All in all a great movie after really long time...I hope this brings out the awareness that its not fancy locations, bikini clad heroines or heroes with six pack abs beating up the rest of the world which people expect in a movie, but any thing with a decent storyline, songs that make sense and some decent music should fill up theaters.