Neenello Naanalle: Great film!

Neenello Naanalle is the opening line of an immortal song sung by Kannada movie icon Dr Rajakumar in one of his films. Interetsingly, the Kannada film with this title which has been released has another icon, Dr Vishnuvardhan, in an important role.

Regular film goers will take the producer's claim -- that the story is his -- with a pinch of salt. The film has many sequences that were seen in films like Maine Pyaar Kiya, Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya' and the Telugu film, Nuvvosthaanante Nenoddantaana.

But this Kannada film is a winner mainly because of its feel-good spirit. It has all the elements needed for a good commercial entertainer, without a dull moment.

The first half of the film has melodious songs, good and healthy comedy and some curious twists. After the interval, the tempo of the film picks up and the neat narration makes the film still more interesting.

Director Dinesh Babu has always shown that he has the knack of improvising from the original and Neenello Naanalle confirms this belief. He has been able to get the best out of artists like Anirudhdh and Rakshitha who are excellent in the film.

Santhosh along with his mother comes to India to attend a marriage of one of their relatives. Santhosh comes across an innocent, middle class, village girl Siri and instantly takes a liking to her. Gradually they fall in love. But Santhosh's mother who has plans to get him married to a rich man's daughter does not approve of this alliance and humiliates Siri.

Even Siri's brother, an innocent but highly self respecting farmer, is insulted. Siri and her brother go back to their village. Santhosh joins them and pleads with Siri's brother that he is deeply in love. Siri's brother challenges Santhosh to prove that he can also live like a villager

Dr Vishnuvardhan may have less footage than the younger stars Rakshitha and Anirudhdh but he stands out with a powerful performance. The character suits him well and he looks very comfortable in the role. For actor Anirudhdh who has already proved himself in films like Chithra and Thuntaata, this film surely is his best. Rakshitha has also delivered her career's best performance yet.

Neenello Naanalle has some extremely good visuals backed up by fantastic music. Venu has done a great job behind the camera. About the songs; the credit does not go to the music director as all the tunes except one have been lifted from Nuvvasthaanante Nenoddantaana.

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