What strikes you about the Kannada movie, Ganga Cauvery is its brilliant cinematography, visually spectacular locations and captivating music. These elements are the real USP of the film. However, narration and performances do not match the top levels achieved by the technical depatment of the film.
Ganga Cauvery does not boast of a fresh story as such love triangles have been seen often in Indian films. Even the climax is seen in many films including Vishnuvardhan-Ramya Krishna starrer Raja Narasimha. But what is special about this one is the choice of locations -- the Himalayas and the hilly coffee plantations of Kodagu district in Karnataka.
It is certain that debutant director Vishnukanth, who has also written the story and screenplay, has written the story by mixing sequences from many Hindi films.
The story goes like this: Arjun is born to an influential family in Kodagu district. A photographer, he goes to the Himalayas for a shoot. He is already engaged to his childhood friend, Cauvery. In the Himalayas, Arjun is saved from a fatal accident by a village girl, Ganga. Predictably, Ganga becomes closer to Arjun, who promises to marry her.
He returns to his native place only to find that his father is bed-ridden and wants to see his son married off to Cauvery. But Cauvery forces Arjun to marry Ganga. Then comes the interesting climax.
Newcomer Akshay is good in action sequences, but poor in emotional scenes. Of the two heroines, it is Mahi who is impressive. Mallika looks good in the song sequences. There is little to cheer about other artists, though a veteran actor like Anant Nag has very few sequences to showcase his talents.
H C Venu is brilliant behind the camera. Kalyan who has written the lyrics and has composed the music shines in songs like Ambara Ambaradaage and Ganga Cauvery song. Dialogues are good in patches.
Ganga Cauvery is better than the present crop of films. It is slow but still good for a family viewing.
Rediff Rating: