WHERE THERE IS LOVE, THERE MAY BE LIFE

“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit,” mused Khalil Gibran. But, for that love to take root, it needs timely care and tender grooming. Oh, most vitally though, reciprocity is a prerequisite.

"ಜಸ್ಟ್ ಮಾತ್ ಮಾತಲ್ಲಿ" ('Just Maath Maathalli', which means “Just While Chatting”) is a commercially successful 2010 Kannada romantic film, which explores the dainty processes of 'falling in love' and fragility of relationships therein. Not in conformity with either the 'drama prototype' or the 'romance paradigm', the award-winning and critically-acclaimed movie makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

The story follows a singer in a rock band, Siddharth's (Sudeep) efforts to find Tanu (Ramya) in Singapore for confessing his love for her. On his flight, Siddharth meets Adi (Rajesh), a scriptwriter. The two engage in a conversation about Siddharth's past relationships with not only Tanu, but also Divya (Keerthi Gowda)

Sudeep, as director and scriptwriter, has earned his chops well with this sweet, superb film. The underlying message of the narrative is loud and clear: love has multiple strains that originate variously in attraction, adulation, infatuation and passion. And that, it takes two to tango for love to blossom!

Sudeep, as the male protagonist, is outstanding in his role. Few actors can portray the wide spectrum of diverse human emotions, subtle facial expressions and nuanced tonal intonations like him. Ramya is good too as a bubbly, vivacious lady in love, save a few scenes wherein she has gone overboard with melodrama. The supporting cast too is alright. Sudeep more than makes up for the lacunae of the entire cast with ease.

The non-linear screenplay is tight; the many time jumps do not tax the viewer. Raghu Dixit's rock and jazz-based music consists of six title tracks, a first; each composition is soulful and satisfying. The editing and cinematography is remarkable too.

On the whole, the flick is heart-warming and, at the same time heart-touching. A must watch!

I rate it: 8.0 on 10!


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