I have been interacting and writing about film personalities for more than a quarter of a century and the only star about whom I’m yet to hear even murmurs of a minor misdemeanour is Ramesh. Even the tabloids have failed to conjure stories abou t his escapades. He’s affable, accessible and devoid of all airs. “For him everyone is good and so he’s good to everybody,” is Vishnuvardhan’s wise observation about his favorite co-star. His popularity was palpable at the premiere of his second directorial venture, “Satyavan Savitri”.
Many celebrities were seen standing in the aisles for want of seats but nobody walked away in a huff. “There are no seats even if Daisy Bopanna, the heroine, comes,” said a crew member. Puneet was one of the first to walk the red carpet.
“I try to spend as much time as I can with my kids when not shooting,” said the star while posing with fans for mobile memories. There was the omnipresent artiste Raghava with his soon-to-be-bride, Netra who appears in a cameo in the film. Sumalatha arrived with her son. Jennifer Kotwal polished off bars of chocolate when not posing for the innumerable cameras.
Confidence in one’s capabilities and craft is very important for a creative person and Ramesh exhibits plenty of it. The film “pays tribute” to an old French comedy, but Ramesh retains the flavour of the original while adding native spice. The film about a harmless flirt who is commitment phobic and takes time to settle. The smiles turn to guffaws in no time. It is light, fluffy and reminds you of the Basu Chatterjee genre. There are plenty of characters and each one has well-written roles. Ramesh makes sure he doesn’t hog screen space.
Anirudh as a fashion photographer is excellent. But the surprise packet is Daisy Bopanna. She’s a revelation in a role that’s well-nuanced. Komal and Mohan add to the fun. The dialogues are peppered with subtle word play. There are a couple of sequences that could have been handled better, but you can’t complain since the rest of the film more than makes up for it. The good news is that the jingle at the cash registers is getting louder thanks to word-of-mouth publicity. But Ramesh should be careful about getting branded as just a rib tickler.
Ganesh is currently the hot flavour in Kannada cinema. His popularity has to be seen to be believed. A few weeks ago I was surprised at the frenzy his appearance whipped up at the premiere of “Hudugaata” at Aparna theatre. There were girls whistling and shouting “I love you” when he appeared on-screen.
There was a mini riot when the hero was to interact with the press, with the crowd jostling around and shouting slogans. Ganesh was humility personified, recalling the days he gawked at the hoardings of his idols in front of theatres.
“There was a time I could not afford a Reliance mobile but today I endorse their products. It’s surreal,” said the star. I hope he’s not just a shooting star. An indiscriminate choice of films could make him one.
