Un Samayal Arayil

It is a common maxim that Romance has no age bars, however it is a topic that is rarely dealt with sensitively especially as a central theme by Indian Cinema. The romantic comedy movie Oggarane attempts to do just that around a theme of food. As it is said at the start of the movie, Life is about eating tasty food! Food, I suppose, is a metaphor for love here and that certainly has no age bars!

Prakash Raj as Kalidasa is an Archaeology official who is single and lives with just a long time servant. Sneha as Gowri is a dubbing artist and is also single. Thought both are perfect marriage material in career as well as looks, they have remained unmarried well into their middle ages. A quirky set of circumstances brings them together. Then with an under current of food and recipes, side stories of comedy and romance and even a little bit of suspense regarding adivasis, the audience is entertained with the narration of how their love blossoms and culminates.

What I liked about the movie:

• Great script and it flows very well most of the time. First half was perfect.

• Fantastic casting and acting by all. The younger love pair do seem to labor a bit but manage fairly well.

• Some of the comic circumstances were very good. We liked the potential bride interview visit the best.

What I would have liked different:

• Better pace in the 2nd half as it dragged in some places. There were 2 songs with the younger couple. One could have been cut.

• Adivasi parallel story was not concluded to my satisfaction.

• Story somehow lost the theme of food in the 2nd half.

The movie starts off with great tone by inducing hunger to eat(watch) delicious foods shown across Karnataka. It was a well made introduction credits building curiosity in the audiences. The first half of the movie is well paced with catchy dialogues. There is total control by the Director here. But 2nd half is totally taken away by prolonging the climax unnecessarily. Never mind it was great showcase of acting by Prakash Rai. The background score and few songs are pleasant to the story. These type of classic movie catches the audiences if it is well promoted before release, which was done well by the Director. Overall classic movies still live on...

Loved the direction, dialogue and acting of Prakash Rai. The new faces too have done their best in acting. The movie is different by presenting about the pleasure of being a foodie. It also says - no age bar for romance and lives out a strong message as "you are what you are and love yourself" ! Prakash Rai should have changed his laughing style to suit for his positive role since it brings his "villian" image out to the audience. It also gives a beautiful touch of Hubli Kannada. Humor keeps following all the way. The first half keeps you glued to the screen. The second half looks bit eased off.

Music by the maestro Ilayaraja is just awesome. The background tracks are crafted very well and beautifully holds its grip, supporting the presentation very well. Ilayaraja's music for Kannada movies always takes its own classic level as usual! It is a pleasure listening to every bit of it. The lyrics are kept simple but beautifully written.

The parallel story of Adivasi seemed to be unnecessarily brought in.

Although the story is a remake from the Malayalam version, there is some originality introduced by Prakash Rai. The characters are light hearted and food is at the forefront of the story.

To live is to eat is a common theme that is stressed upon in the first half of the movie. The acting and story are quite standard and nothing too extraordinary.

The fact that this movie was made in 3 languages at the same time is mindblowing. The movie has its own special audience who hold it close to their hearts.

Age is no bar is another plot point that slowly develops. These views on life are unique and enjoyable.

Beautifully written & taken. Though I haven't watched its original (Malayalam version), its been a long time that Tamil cinema has had a delicacy of this kind. A very light comedy and pleasant romance that makes you want the two people to unite. Prakash Raj may have this repetitive actions, but that's just his style. He's one actor who's surely versatile the way he fits into characters. And he's proved that again. Made me realize i was so wrong in trying to get my head around which Hollywood drama to watch, when there's one right at home. Drama is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you are willing to educate yourself as a viewer it set's you in the right path. If you are up for a romantic-drama-comedy at its lighter best, you don't want to miss this drama.