Director: P C Shekar
Cast: Mithra, Bhama, Avinash, Ramesh Bhat, Jai Jagadeesh, Jai.
Fourteen year old dream of a director hits the screens with a different vision which sounds pretty good for its 'blind attempt'. This one is a tale of two visually impaired persons – a self-esteem poor guy and a girl who is the only child of a rich man, and how they connect each other in a world of their own. Set in late 1960s or 70s, for reasons best known to the director, ‘Raaga’ manages to strike a chord with the audience in the first half and slowly starts vanishing as the act gets more serious in the second plot.
The whole ‘set up’ of late 1960s or 70s is clearly visible on several occasions. Apart from the Public Call Office (PCO) with retro dial telephones, a vintage car, retro fashion such as hair style, attires, and hats, the entire film is shot in limited locations which is understandable considering the two protagonists being blind persons. However, the physical behavior of the two being similar to that of mentally challenged ones is quite difficult to perceive.
Mithra runs a PCO situated within the premises of a hospital where he accidentally meets the girl and eventually wins her heart. While both are happy in their own world, the ray of hope soon starts vanishing when Mithra is forced to stay away from the girl. Bhama playing the girl with squint blond hair eyes is impressive but her childish like behaviour looks exaggerated and even Mithra at times. In short it's unconvincing and unnatural.
The girl gets her eyes back after she is successfully operated but unlike an ordinary twist, the girl is now more determined about Mithra but her father has planned a different world for her. Dialogues pegged with philosophy is the other highlight of this special tune orchestrated by the director, which may sound good to some.
Nonetheless, Raaga is much more than just a commercial interest, it's a dream of hope and love beyond materialistic and 'mean' world largely populated by those who can see through their eyes. Wish, every visually impaired could see the tales of their own. For the rest of us, 'Raaga' is watchable for an honest work but no guarantee on whether every eye will like it in the end.
