Moggina Jade is not impressive

Ramadasa Naidu's Moggina Jade was selected to be screened at the Indian Panorama at IFFI, as well as the International Children's film festival last year. His previous films, Mussanje and Pravaaha, won the Karnataka state awards.  

Moggina Jade focuses on the effect that urbanisation and outsourcing cause on the middle class and the creation of a neo-rich culture in cities. 

Naidu's previous film, Pravaaha, also focused on the impact of the economic reforms and urbanisation on small scale rural crafts.

Traditionally, small girls in South Karnataka are dressed like dolls in silken cloths. Their hair, braided with jasmine plaits, is called Moggina Jade in Kannada. But in this film Priya, the girl child, is denied her Moggina Jade by her mother, Rekha, who works in an outsourcing firm. She is interested more in partying than to be with her child.

Priya lives in a joint family and is very close to her grandparents, Srikantaiah and Sarasamma. Though her father  Raghavendra was brought up in a traditional milieu, he undergoes a change after getting a job in a multinational firm and  marrying Rekha, a symbol of modernity. 

Priya's desire is not understood by her parents. Her grandmother hands over a plait to her son, but Priya does not get it; the maid Nagarathna gets it. She wears it, and is photographed with the jasmine braid. Meanwhile, Priya, who is isolated from her traditional environs, develops a friendship with a road side gypsy. Spurned by her parents, Priya eventually walks out of the house, in search of the gypsy girl.

Will Priya's parents track her down and reconcile with their daughter? Will she finally wear, with pride, her Moggina Jade?

Naidu's films are emotional; and this children's film is also emotionally charged. But the emotional impact gets reduced because of the poor dialogues. The film's climax could have been better narrated.

Director Ramdas Naidu could have handed over the responsibilities of the script and dialogues to others.    

Baby Shreesha puts in a credible performance as Priya. All the child artists are impressive. Well known television actor Rajesh lives the role of Raghavendra; and for Pavithra Lokesh, this is one more role as a modern mother. Sringeri Ramanna comes out with an emotional performance. 

S Ramachandra, who has always been part of the art film movement in Kannada, has done a neat job. L Vadiyanathan's background score is apt.

Moggina Jade is a film for those who want to see artistic films. But this is not a patch on Naidu's previous film, Mussanje, a classic.

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