Story of an Egg (Ondu Motteya Kathe)

Janardhan is a Kannada language teacher who's 28 and eager to marry. But every time his parents arrange a marriage, the bride turns him down because he's an "egghead*" which is to say that he's bald.

He seeks advice from two sources. One is a friend at work who is also balding but has been happily married 4 years and has quiet, wise advice. The other is his favorite actor Rajkumar, who is not only a Kannada legend but an Indian cinema legend. Janardhan channels his hero's words of wisdom through Rajkumar's photo benignly smiling down on him and memories of movies and songs. Between the two, he gains courage to approach women.

As he goes along, we recognize how different relationships will work out. These familiar beats allow for both comedy and empathy. When Janardhan finally meets a woman who would be a good match, he doesn't recognize it and winds up having to work through some of the very issues that he himself was a victim of.

We really enjoyed this this sweet, charming film which felt a lot like an American indie movie. I knew how it would turn out, after a certain point, but felt genuine anxiety toward the end where I wanted to urge Janardhan to go get his woman! This is a real tribute to Raj B. Shetty who wrote, directed, and starred in the film. 

The Times of India commented: "The film is probably the best tribute to Dr Rajkumar made on Kannada screen till date and the subtle references to the late matinee idol and his films are a delight to any film buff." That's something we weren't in any position to appreciate, but it is clear that Shetty did a first class job on several levels.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

*It's funny to think about slang because in America an egghead is a super-intellectual, often impractical, scientist-type.

Kantara (Deep Mystical Forest): A Legend

Shiva is a tribal vagabond who lives with his mother in a tiny forest village. He avoids participation in the traditional worship ceremonies due to an unforgettable childhood incident. He is happy loafing around with his friends and doing petty jobs for his landlord. When forest officer Murali enters the scene, it gives a fresh dimension to the man-vs-nature fight. Can Shiva save the forest from Murali? 

I especially liked the beginning which establishes the deep connection that the people have to their forest demi-god and land. And the end is simply astounding. It makes this film a cultural experience that is startling and also wonderful.

In between is a good story of a slacker, traumatized from an experience in his youth, who must deal with an officious forestry police official who is determined to take his people's land. This part of the story is more straight forward to the Western mind, although somewhat unfocused in a few spots. But it has it's own twists and turns. 

RATING — ADVANCED. As I mentioned the middle of the movie is straight forward. However, the beginning and end have cultural elements that you just have to accept and let flow over you.

Rama Rama Re

A mesmerizing and often humorous road trip with an escaped convict, an old man with a mission, and an eloping couple fleeing their enraged families. As happens with such journeys they encounter other people on missions of their own and in the end the encounters interweave to a connected tale. This is a movie to take in as it washes over you.

It was put into perspective by the opening song from Sita to Lord Ram about her dharma. This is followed up immediately by a police official watching a TV show where Sita is walking into the fire, the result, she says, of a bad choice and of having to carry out her dharma (the duty she was assigned to fulfill in life). I'd forgotten about that by the finale until the singers encountered at the end closed the circle and made the conclusion perfect. Sita, Ram, and dharma are part of the Ramayana which is an epic tale that we have encountered many times in other movies. 

As a result, this made us think of favorite movies which depend heavily on Christian religious symbolism for deep layers of meaning below the obvious surface story such as The Mill and the Cross, Babette's Feast, and Tokyo Godfathers.

As Americans we have at best a basic understanding of the Ramayana and Hinduism, so we know we missed tons. We are now in need of a thoughtful Indian viewer who could explain more of the symbolism and underlying themes. But we loved what we did understand and will be watching this again.

RATING — VERY ADVANCED. As you can tell from the review, this is probably too advanced for us, but like all good movies it stands on its own as a story. We certainly liked it. If you are adventurous, give it a try. 

 If you want a basic telling of the Ramayana go watch Sita Sings the Blues free on Tubi. You'll also get to see a delightful movie that way!

Hannah and Rose discuss this in episode 50 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

Avane Srimannarayana

In the pursuit of solving an ancient mystery of the small south Indian town of Amaravati, Narayana, a corrupt cop must battle the dangerous clan of dacoits [bandits] and it’s fierce leader.

This is a mashup of a Western, an action thriller, a swashbuckler, rivalry between murderous brothers, putting on a play, and an Indian mythological fantasy of sorts. If that sounds bonkers it is, kind of. But it is a kind of bonkers that I found really entertaining. A lot of the fun lies in all the genres that are ruthlessly shoved together with humor, excellent production values, entertaining dialogue, and engaging screen presence from Rakshit Shetty who portrays Narayana.

Despite all these elements it still remains unremittingly Indian as exemplified by four gunfighters who wear cowboy hats, leather dusters, and dhoti. And it works.

I'm pleased to hear that there is a spinoff being considered, featuring Cowboy Krishna, who is "protecting American culture" in the town with his saloon.

 This is not a Bollywood movie but a Kannada language film from "Sandalwood." (I love the creativity with the "wood" names.) 

It is a long film with a lot going on. The plot is complicated (although we kept up without more difficulty than occasionally losing track of who was who in the secondary characters. And it is loaded with visual jokes and references. Some of these are easy for Americans like the saloon and Western stuff and some are going to go right over your head (as they doubtless did for us). But it doesn't matter. The story works without getting everything.

 Rating — for viewers with medium to difficult Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.) 

Watch it on Amazon Prime.