Oggarane - Don't Watch It Hungry

Masala Dosas, steaming idlis, hissing paddus and colorful rice; melting ice cream, pouring badam milk, jumping mustard, and the aromatic pickles - Oggarane starts off with Kailash Kher singing Shishunala Sharief's 'Ee Janumave Ahaa Dorakide', that soothes one's ears and the visuals that make your mouth water.

Prakash Raj has adopted Malayalam's Salt n Pepper in three South Indian styles - Oggarane in Kannada, Ulavacharu Biryani in Telugu, and Un Samayal Arayil in Tamil. If you're wondering how it is going to taste, hear us out, for your ears are in for a treat! Kalidas (Prakash Raj), an archaeologist in his 40s is unmarried and lives with his cousin (Mandya Ramesh). One day, Kalidas's nephew Naveen (Tejus) gifts him a mobile phone for New Year's Day and Gauri (Sneha), a dubbing artist, accidentally calls Kalidas's number while trying to order from a hotel. This sparks off an argument and later breezes into a pleasant friendship over the phone for the both. One fine day, the both decide to meet face-to-face and get ready in their best looking attire. But inferiority makes them think otherwise and they send in substitutes to meet their other counterparts. From there, a mix of confusions and misunderstandings arise that put them into more loneliness.

Oggarane touches upon the human values of love, care, the need for a partner, and the pain of loneliness. Prakash Raj, as the middle aged single archaeologist is brilliant in his conveying of a hesitant man who is not used to talking to women. Sneha, as Gauri, is equally convincing as a frustrated single woman in the wait for companionship. Urvashi as the Malayali Chechi, Achyutha Kumar as the cook, and the transgender beautician are all a treat to watch with their supporting roles. However, Tejus and Samyuktha Hornad, as the young couple discovering romance among themselves, look fresh with their mannerisms and act.

Preetha's cinematography will not only delight your eyes but also manages to tease your taste buds. Ilaiyaraja's music again proves he is the unmatchable maestro when composing romantic tunes. Shyam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair's original story is narrated beautifully by Prakash Raj, who has also penned the screenplay for the film. Prakash Raj's latest directorial Oggarane is sure to appeal to the family audience and is worth your time! Don't miss it this weekend!