'Chikkamagaloora...' - good songs, great visuals but old narrative

Film: 'Chikkamagaloora Chikka Mallige'; Director: Channagangappa; Cast: Shravanth, Radhika Gandhi, Jagadeesh, Avinash, C.R. Simha, Sharath Lohithashwa and Vinaya Prakash; Music: K. Kalyan; Rating: **1/2

Director Channagangappa has effectively used his writing skills to narrate a simple and entertaining story in 'Chikkamagaloora Chikkamallige', which stands out for good technical work and fine performances by veteran character artistes.

The film introduces fresh talents in leading roles. The story of 'Chikkamagaloora...' doesn't have a contemporary feel, but it pleases your eyes and ears, thanks to the fantastic visuals and some good songs.

Channagangappa, who has earlier made issue-based films, has this time made an entertaining movie that has comedy and suspense. As a writer, Channagangappa has written an interesting script with intriguing twists.

However, it has certain weak points that prevent it from becoming a full-on entertainer. Besides lacking a contemporary touch, the narration is old style. While Kalyan's compositions are good, it lacks variety. Some of the songs sound similar to one another.

The story is mainly about a former king, who lives in the illusion that he still holds power. Vasundhara, a college student, is the grand daughter of this maverick ex-ruler.

The hero is the son of a business who does not see eye-to-eye with the king, but fall for his granddaughter. But Vasundhara was apparently engaged to one of her relatives as a child.

Meanwhile, there are assassination attempts made on the king. Who wants to kill the king and will the hero and heroine meet?

Veteran artistes like C.R. Simha, Avinash, Bharath Bhagavathar, Sharath Lohithashwa give great performances, while Shravanth and Radhika Gandhi make good debuts. Radhika looks cute and has a terrific screen presence in songs.

Veteran cameraman J.G. Krishna proves he is one of the best cinematographers in the Kannada film industry. However, many scenes look out of place in today's environs.

'Chikkamagaloora Chikka Mallige' has quite a few engaging and entertaining moments that will appeal to family audiences.