Movie Review of Ondu Motteya Kathe directed by Raj B. Shetty
Few movies can make you smile, few make you laugh, few make you feel for the characters and rarely does a movie have all these qualities. Ondu Motteya Kathe (OMK) is one such film which accidentally caught my attention as I was skimming through Amazon Prime, wondering what next to watch. It was one of the finest movies I ever watched which kept me glued to my seat and stay curious. OMK is about the story of a 28-old lecturer, with a bald head, hunting for a suitable (‘beautiful’) bride and how his quest helps him in re-defining his idea of ‘beauty’.
Janardhan (played by Raj B Shetty), who works as a Kannada lecturer is an ardent fan of actor Rajkumar and is passionate about the Kannada language. These two qualities are well portrayed throughout the film. Rajkumar’s photo hanging in Janardhan’s room, constantly reminds him of various songs from the actor’s film and helps him cope with various situations of his life. And when Srinivas, who serves as the peon of the college where Janardhan works, attempts to read the love letter penned by him, his love for Kannada, as he corrects the pronunciation of the language is well captured.
The movie starts with Janardhan’s parents visiting the astrologer to enquire about his marriage prospects and to their dismay, the astrologer warns that he may remain a celibate if he doesn’t get married by 29. As they expedite the process of bride hunting, Janardhan realizes that things are slipping out of hand because of his bald head. He decides to take matter in his hands, by asking the marriage broker to stop the search. After raking his brains as to who would be his ideal match, he first targets his co-lecturer. He seeks tips and advise from Srinivas, who is known for chatting over phone with his lover-turned-wife all the time. Janardhan diligently follows his suggestions but his hopes get crumbled as a smart English lecturer walks in and attracts the lecturer’s attention. One remarkable thing about this movie is the screenplay, which subtly highlights the emotions and intentions of the actors, topping them with satirical cues wherever appropriate, without them explicitly uttering the dialogues.
One remarkable thing about this movie is the screenplay, which subtly highlights the emotions and intentions of the actors, topping them with satirical cues wherever appropriate, without them explicitly uttering the dialogues.
Another girl (Moha) walks into the life of the protagonist and attempts to gain his attention, as he struggles to turn his eyes away from the pretty looking woman but eventually ends up talking to her. As he realizes that he finally found ‘the one’, she invites him to a place to discuss something personal. With a lot of expectations, Janardhan enters the hall sharply at the committed time, only to witness his dreams getting ripped apart into pieces, as Moha unveils her business idea for the bald-headed people and it is for this reason she was chasing him.
Despite the body shaming at college and in bride hunting and back-to-back failures in hitting at women, despondent Janardhan makes another attempt to rise as a phoenix from the ashes. He shortlists his long-lost friend Sarala and takes a shot at messaging her, which he regrets few scenes later. As they meet up, they badly want to end the meeting because of their dislikes towards each other’s appearance, Jana being a bald-headed person and Sarala, short and stout. But, as always, God had other plans for them. His parents catch them together and mistakes Sarala to be Moha, about whom Janardhan was raving about.
Sarala, who was initially hesitant, was floored by the flattering description about her beauty which Janardhan had shared with his mom about his find (Moha), as his mother pours it out to her, assuming Janardhan was in love with Sarala. Sarala changes her mind and agrees to marry Janardhan, which appalls him. Her sheer presence irritates him and he runs to their family astrologer, begging him to lie about incompatibility of his horoscope for the wedding, which too didn’t work. As nothing seems to deter Sarala from refusing Janardhan, her post in Facebook irks Janardhan to the core and he decides to pull the plug, which deeply hurts Sarala’s emotion. She understands how the whole thing about this marriage was arranged out of incorrect assumption by Janardhan’s parents and decides to walk away from him.
The director has to be lauded for a powerful climax where Srinivas invites Janardhan home for his anniversary dinner. It is then protagonist realizes the bond between Srinivas and his differently abled wife and how beauty isn’t about what one sees externally but is about how pure and authentic one’s soul is. Whether Janardhan decides to revisit his decision about his wedding with Sarala or not is what the readers will find out when they watch this movie!!
On the whole, a thoroughly enjoyable movie with realistic and relatable dialogues. It also highlights the subtle unnoticed abuses that people with bald heads face including calling names, sly giggles etc. Thankfully, there is no star cast, with no unwanted fights or scenes, resulting in well portrayed characters. Also, there is no dialogue or scene which will make you wriggle or fast forward when you watch with family. With nice background score and songs, this is a soul soothing movie, reinforcing the message that the beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
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About Sammy's MindChirps
Hello! Welcome to Sammy's MindChirps. I'm glad you are here. To me, the word LIFE is an acronym of Laboratory with Infinite Freedom to Experiment. It's more like a kaleidoscope offering amazing learning opportunities as we grow and explore various facets of life. So this blog is a platform where I share anything that I find interesting (with my two cents, of course :D). I assure that you will have some new learning when you exit the blog. And do share your feeback on the blog or anything you want me to write about in this blog by dropping an email to mindchirps@gmail.com