Lifeu Ishtene is refreshing!

Read this article in Kannada here.

'Refreshing' - if Lifeu Ishtene has to be described in a single word. Directorial debut by Pawan Kumar entertains, makes you laugh and introspect too!

Contemporary : Movie portrays the current generation in a precise way. Audience can easily relate to the movie since many scenes are based on their life or of their peers! Director Pawan Kumar also knows where to put breaks too! I can not remember any other Kannada movie, which has shown the present youth, their confusions the way Pawan did. Well, hero's parents too are not stereotyped. They have changed. Now, you say that it is a new age movie. There is also attention to details - just to give an example - the reception party scene looks so authentic(thank god, there is no Kalyana Mantapa scenes added!).

Wit and Fun : Witty dialogues form the essential part of the movie and then there is Satish Ninasam, playing brilliantly the role of Vishal's(Diganth) friend to guide our misguided hero and make you laugh. Raju Talikote too adds his flavour to the humor. Sindhu Loknath and Samyukta Hornad(daughter of Sudha Belawadi, who played the role of Ganesh's mom in Mungaaru Male) sizzle on screen. Diganth as a confused youth plays his role well. "Film in film" - clippings of films shown in this movie stitch well - which avoids unnecessary talk!

Rewind and Forward : Many of us would have got bored with the flashback shown in movies. Here though the same trick is employed, flashback is not sequential. Instead it switches back and forth. With Diganth becoming narrator for some time gives a break from that monotonous way of rewinding life. Childhood memories of the protagonist makes you go back to innocent school days. This is also one of the highlights of the movie.

Audio Visual Treat : Good cinematography with excellent screenplay make the movie a worth watch. Songs shot in Ladakh are a visual treat and what to say about Dubai's beautiful locations. Simply awesome. Not to forget our namma Bengaluru which itself is shown beautiful on screen. Choreography for some melodious songs go on familiar lines. Also, I am wondering what happened to the contest for lyrics for the tune provided in the audio CD of the movie!

Facebook : Just like how Facebook has become integral part in our lives, it forms the core part of the movie too. In the final scenes it is more evident. It goes to show how our lives have changed in this information age.

Paradigm Shift : Indian cinema has come of age with Bollywood making some brilliant efforts at finding meaning in life through its movies and with this movie, Kannada cinema is following suit. On a different note, though the maker has not tried to convey any message, some may feel so in the climax. But this should be looked as circumstantial inference than a generic one! I would also like to see this as life's dualism or dvandva - which path to choose - and this continues throughout one's life!

Review by Sandeep aka Shande - www.naanushande.com