DIMINISHING MARGINAL RETURN OF GOODNESS

It is often said that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Indeed...but that difference sows the seeds of dissent and discordance at times. One false step and all the good Samaritan work is lost!

"ಅಬಚೂರಿನ ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಆಫೀಸ್" ('Abachoorina Post Office', which, in English, equates to: 'Abachoor's Post Office') is a 1973 Kannada flick, which won the prestigious National Film Award. Based on Poornachandra Tejaswi's short story, the film garnered critical acclaim too. The social drama portrays the connections of personal aspirations and interpersonal relations within a small community.

The male protagonist is Bobanna (Nani), who mans a post office in a remote hamlet in the hills. Bobanna, the raison d'etre for the launch of postal operations at the settlement, is married to coy Kaveri (Girija Lokesh) and lives with his nagging, nit-picking mother-in-law, a control freak.

Everyone adores Bobanna because of his diligent services, much of which he extends beyond the call of duty...and, that includes the local plantation owner, Srikantaiah (S Seetharam) and his son, Ramesha (Ramesh Bhat). Yet, the possibility of the office being shut down looms large on the horizon due to the dwindling postal load; this is cause for grave concern. Hence, a desperate Bobanna resorts to innovative, but indiscreet methods to serve the community better and artificially bump up the mail load.

The movie traces the impact of Bobanna's zealousness on his family life and the community. A breakdown of brotherhood in the neighborhood is the inevitable backlash.

Eminent director N Lakshminarayan has assiduously gone about his work; but, the X-Factor is woefully missing. He is burdened with weak screenplay, which has scenes that coalesce with little coherence. It is as if the dots are connected randomly with no big picture in mind.

Result: A damp squib– the risk of turning a short story into a feature film!

Nani and Girija Lokesh in the lead roles have performed well. But, the supporting cast is given little time to showcase their acting skills. So, the theatrical spurs of stalwarts like S Seetharam, Ramesh Bhat and others are wasted. The illustrious Vijay Bhaskar has composed the background score. Nonetheless, the flick is marred by technical mediocrity.

I rate this social drama: 6.5 on 10!