Googal: Doesn't have all the answers

Dr Nagendra Prasad, who has written, directed, produced, acted in, and composed the music for this film, may have taken on one too many roles
Googal: Doesn't have all the answers

When one man single-handedly puts in love, skill and money, you get Googal. Inspired by the idea of the search engine that everyone goes to for answers, this film explores what goes on in the minds of its characters. Dr Nagendra Prasad has donned many hats for this film -- he's the director, producer, lead actor, music composer, and also the dialogue, script and lyrics writer. 

Director:  Dr Nagendra Prasad
Cast:  Dr Nagendra Prasad, Shubha Poonja, Shobhraj

The heart of the story lies in an extra-marital affair, and the narrative seems more like that of an episode of a television crime series than a movie. Housewife Nandini finds no love in her house and enters into an extra-marital relationship with Balu (Deepak) in the hope of finding happiness. Her husband Harish (Dr Prasad) decides to convince his wife to return for their daughter’s sake, and travels to the place called Googal. What is the reason behind Nandini’s elopement, will Harish restore their marriage and how does this crisis affect their daughter is the the crux of Googal. Unfortunately, the film ends on an unconvincing note. 

Though Nagendra Prasad has stepped away from the regular and commercial storytelling formula, the subject is not new. There are twists and turns, but the story is predictable. This subject is a subject that needed to be dealt with sensitivity, but the director fails to do so. What he has got right, though, are the characters, the excellent songs and a few passable dialogues. 

The director, who has acted for the first time, plays the father of a 10-year-old daughter convincingly. Shubha Poonja, too, has done justice to the character of a lonely woman. The rest of the cast -- Shobraj, Deepak, Amrutha and Jaidev -- have also done well in their parts. Cinematograper Nagarjuna has taken some excellent aerial shots, which enhance the telling of this story of a journey. 

Dr Nagendra Prasad, as a producer, was clever to make this movie on a shoe-string budget. You can go on this journey with him. However, if you are looking for answers, stick to Google.

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