Geetha Movie Review: A perfect amalgam of two beautiful love stories 

With Geetha, debutant director Vijay Naagendra delivers a film that strikes the perfect balance between the heart and mind. He takes up a mature subject and deals with it beautifully, connecting all the ends in this love story that spans two generations. In addition to this, Geetha also talks about patriotism, friendship, love and family. 

Akash (Ganesh) and Geetha (Prayaga Martin) are the principal characters of the story. The former is a software engineer, while the latter is a strong and opinionated NGO worker. Whenever they bump into each other their conversations turn into arguments. Akash happens to attend Geetha’s engagement with Prem (Vishal Hegde) where he meets Priya (Shanvi Srivastav), who ends up working with him in the same office.

Director: Vijay Naagendra
Cast: Ganesh, Prayaga Martin, Shanvi Srivastava, Parvathy Arun, Sudharani

It is revealed that Akash’s parents, Shankar (Devaraj) and Aarti (Swathi), are separated and it has left him with an unhealed scar. Priya, who befriends Akash, tries to reunite his parents, but all her efforts are in vain. Shankar then decides to reveal the actual reason behind their separation to Akash.

In the flashback sequence, Shankar (played now by Ganesh) is a college student and activist from Mysore, fighting for the revival of Kannada and taking part in the Gokak agitation along with writers, freedom fighters, and actors like Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, and Shankar Nag. Shankar is in love with Geethanjali (Parvathy Arun), and he also has a friend, Aarti (Shanvi Srivastava). In the aftermath of the agitation, the situation gets all topsy-turvy and circumstances force Shankar to leave Geethanjali and marry Aarti. 

After hearing the story, Akash takes up a new job in Kolkata and meets his father’s former love interest, Geethanjali (Sudharani). But, at this point, Akash is himself in a situation where he has to choose between his good friend Priya and Geetha. Who does he choose as his life partner? The answer to this and what happens to the lead trio after, forms the rest of the film. The relationships in the film culminate with the evergreen song — Geetha Sangeetha — from the classic Shankar Nag film of the same name, thus sending everyone back on memory lane.

Despite sounding complicated on paper, Naagendra, who has also written Geetha, has handled the story and screenplay really well. Setting the love story in the backdrop of a sensitive issue like Gokak agitation is a clever idea, and it has been executed well too. The episode beautifully evokes a sense of patriotism and love for the languge among the audience. Dialogue writers Nagendra and Santhosh Ananddram deserve special mention, especially for the lines written for Gokak Chaluvali.
 
The director should also be applauded for selecting the right cast, and setting the story in the 1980s. His treatment of the various relationships — friendship, love, marriage, family — in the 1980s and the present age match perfectly the times they are set in.

Ganesh is flawless in his dual role. He exceeds expectations with his appearance and acting both. Romance is cakewalk for the actor by now, and so it's his mature handling of the Gokak episode that particularly impresses. Prayaga Martin, who plays an independent woman, beautifully portrays a character who believes in standing by her decisions. Parvathy Arun, as the shy non-Kannadiga girl, who speaks more through her expressions, has delivered a good performance as well.

Just like Ganesh, Shanvi too has a dual role and she does justice to both. Devaraj and Swathi also play an integral role in the film.

Music composer Anup Rubens excels with his background score and the patriotic track Kanadave Sathya Kannada Nitya deserves a special mention. The picturesque cinematography of Shreesha Kuduvalli elevates the mood of the film. 

Overall, Geetha is a perfect amalgam of two beautiful love stories told almost flawlessly.