GAME OF HIDE-'N-SEEK IN LOVE AND DEATH

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty,” observed Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet. "ಬೆಳದಿಂಗಳ ಬಾಲೆ" ('Beladingala Baale', which means 'Moonlight Lady') is a 1995 Kannada film, which weaves uncertainty into the drama behind a romance. Based on a Telugu novel penned by Yandamoori Veerendranath and titled 'Vennello Adapilla', the flick deservingly won many laurels and awards; it received rave reviews from critics too.

The male protagonist of the movie, Revanth (Ananth Nag) is a chess grandmaster, who returns home bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after beating the reigning world champion, Polonski in an international tournament. In spite of the accolades that he gets from friends and family, Revanth is dejected at the lukewarm reception from the media, not to mention the lack of a fan following.

He soon receives a call from a doting female fan, who sets him and his bosom friend and confidante, James (Ramesh Bhat) on a wild-goose chase, or rather a 'name-guess game'. It soon turns into a full-fledged hunt for the damsel. Finding out the identity of the anonymous lady becomes an obsession for Revanth, who is fed with periodic clues.

Do the Revanth-James duo's Sherlock-Holmes-'n-Watson-like efforts unravel the mystery woman, even she tries her best to elude discovery? That is the gist of this movie based on a 'love at first sound' theme... perhaps a first of its kind. The climax surely is a surprise!

Director Sunil Kumar Desai has put together a romantic drama that is engaging for the most part; it has a good deal of comical content too. Yet, the flick suffers from a slow, belaboured screenplay. Several sequences in the narrative are contrived, Vamshi's decent script notwithstanding. In the result, the plot, a nice one, develops meanderingly.

Anant Nag's portrayal of the bewitched, love-smitten Revanth is par excellence. Ramesh Bhat too is exceptional as the sidekick. The supporting cast, comprising of Vanita Vasu, Suman Nagarkar, Avinash, Shivaram and Lokanath, has done well. Technically though, the film is okay.

The film is a stark reminder of what someone said: “We live, we love, we let it go!”

I rate this romantic drama: 7.5 on 10!

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