Olave Mandara 2
Kannada (Theatres)
Cast: Sanath, Prajna Bhatt, Anup Satish, Bhavya, and Dingri Nagaraj
Director: S R Patil
Rating: 1.5/5
S R Patil’s ‘Olave Mandara 2’ is neither a sequel of Jayatheertha’s 2011 road movie ‘Olave Mandara’ nor does it share a connection with it. It is a romance drama resembling any flick of the genre of the 1980s.
It narrates a story of three individuals — Arya (Sanath), Bhumi (Prajna Bhatt) and Anup Satish (Druti). Arya and Bhumi belong to the same community and village in North Karnataka. They fall in love and their relationship is opposed by Bhumi’s father, a legislator. The couple get married, but Bhumi gets caught and is brought back to her house. She can’t imagine her life without Arya, and kills herself. Soon after, Arya moves to Bengaluru, where Druti falls in love with him. Will Arya reciprocate her feelings? Will Druti marry him? Answers to these questions form the crux of the story.
The flick exposes Patil’s skills as a director. A number of romance dramas involving three characters exist in Sandalwood, and ‘Olave Mandara 2’ is another addition to this list with nothing new to offer. The plot is predictable.
Scenes where Arya gives a speech on the importance of voting, and another with Live Linganna (Dingri Nagaraj), a man obsessed with going live on Facebook to talk about developments at his village, are illogical. Bhumi falling in love with Arya due to his speech is irrational. The flashback narrative doesn’t help either.
Performances of the ensemble cast, excluding Bhavya, and the cinematography and editing are below average. Dr Kiran Thotambyle’s music composition draws attention in some portions.