NO BARRIERS TO HEARING THE VOICE OF THE HEART

It is said: 'God is deaf, if the heart be dumb.” Indeed, more so when the dumb heart is filled with apathy and prejudice.

"ಪ್ರಸಾದ್" ('Prasad') is a 2012 Kannada film, which not only won a bunch of awards, but also received great appreciation from critics. The family drama was a success at the box office, grand too!

The plot revolves around the male protagonist, Shankar (Arjun Sarja), a morally upright and deeply religious mechanic leading a blissful life with his wife, Malathi (Madhuri Bhattacharya). Soon Prasad (Sankalp), a child with speech and hearing impairment, is born to the couple. While Malathi dotes over Prasad; Shankar detests him. In fact, the birth of the differently abled son perturbs Shankar so much that he even loses faith in God.

In due course, Prasad's special talent for swimming is discovered. Eventually, Shankar too begins to bond with and adore Prasad. He soon focuses on saving enough money for Prasad's speech therapy and cure of his disability. But, in a bizarre twist of fate, Prasad meets with an accident, which completely alters Shankar's outlook.

Director Manoj Sati has done a half-decent job with the rendition of the story. He had to strike a delicate balance with the dramatisation– keeping it too simple would have made the product seem like a documentary, or worse, an infomercial. On the flip side, being too clever with creativity would have resulted in a mawkish, melodramatic tale. Given the predicament, Manoj seems to have leaned towards the latter.

In short, the core plot of the movie is strong, compelling; the creative content in his script and screenplay is where it all seems to go a tad astray. Result: a theatrical presentation in overdrive that irritates, at times.

Arjun Sarja is controlled in his rendition. Madhuri Bhattacharya's performance is fine too, notwithstanding the inadequate screen time and space allocated to her marginalised role in the screenplay. The rest of the cast has lent ample support. Maestro Ilaiyaraaja's music is noteworthy. The technical elements are equally good. The choreography of Shiamak Davar, besides his cameo, deserves special mention.

The essence of the flick is in its underlying message, a highlight...that children born with impairments have special talents and latent potential too! After all, to paraphrase Mark Twain, kindness is a language that transcends disabilities and deficiences in communication skills.

I rate this domestic drama, no doubt due to its novel theme: 8.0 on 10!