Title – Maarutha, Producers – K. Manju and Ramesh Yadav, Direction – Dr. S. Narayan, Music – S. Narayan, Cinematography – PKH Doss and Kumar Gowda, Cast – Vijayakumar, Shreyas Manju, Brinda Acharya, Tara Anuradha, Sharat Lohitashva, Sadhu Kokila, Rangayana Raghu, Pramod Shetty, Girish Shivanna, Raju Talikote and others.
Eminent director Dr. S. Narayan, along with senior producers K. Manju and Ramesh Yadav, has chosen the right subject at the right time. The ruckus caused by social media is a major bane to society. In India alone, every year 7,500 females lose track of life, and among them, 2,500 are from Karnataka—startling statistics that melt the heart of any human.
With such shocking information, the dexterous director Kala Samrat S. Narayan (in his 51st direction) has crafted an interesting storyline and brings in top star Dhuniya Vijay to dig into this crucial social evil, alerting the public and advising them to protect their children from the dangers of social media.
Any technology has its ups and downs. When it penetrates human life, one must be cautious. In that attempt, the film Maarutha is a marvelous effort, presented over 155 minutes.
When it is a Narayan film, there is bound to be family sentiment, comedy, a huge star cast, and tear-jerking moments. Although Narayan combines all of these elements, the film turns lengthy and, in fact, needed some trimming. At one point the film feels out of track as too many characters and misunderstandings crop up. But in the last 30 minutes, the story returns to the core topic and stuns everyone. You feel the subject is so family-oriented, reminding us where we tend to miss out in the hustle and bustle of life.
Eesha (Shreyas Manju) is in love with Ananya (Brinda Acharya), but it is one-sided. While following his love, Eesha is accidentally trapped because of a social-media post. Misunderstandings grow between Eesha’s and Ananya’s families, who believe the two have eloped. That is not true. Ananya leaves her house without informing anyone, carrying jewels and money, to meet her boyfriend Vinay Kulkarni—whom she connected with via social media.
After learning this, Eesha and his uncle are forced to return to Bengaluru to trace Ananya. At this point, a senior cop takes control of the entire situation. The search for Ananya begins. After she is traced in a joint operation, a cop in civil dress digs deeper into the issue through Ananya’s Facebook account. This leads the film into a more dangerous phase.
The powerful screenplay is backed by well-written dialogues, lyrics, and music by S. Narayan, the multi-tasking director.
Vijayakumar, aka Dhuniya Vijay—from Bheema to Maarutha—handles a socially relevant topic without missing his forte for action. He performs his role with ease and confidence. Shreyas Manju as Eesha delivers stunning action, and his emotional portions are well done. Brinda Acharya has a quite different role, and her charged-up emotions are heart-touching.
Sharat Lohitashva shifts to a soft character role, and his conversations with his son are beautifully performed. Sadhu Kokila, Rangayana Raghu, Girish Shivanna, Tara Anuradha, and Pramod Shetty are all right choices for their respective roles.
The songs “Ondsala Meet Madona…” and “Nannamma Savadatti Ellamma…” stand out in quality, while the cinematography by Doss and Gowda gives the film a pleasant visual appeal. This is a “Sathyada Sandesha Cinema” – Go watch the film with your family and absorb the serious message it conveys.