'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' - clean, family comedy (Kannada Film Review)

Film: 'Ganesha Maththe Bandha'; Director: Phani Ramachandra; Cast: Vijaya Raghavendra, Pragna, Vishal Hegde, Neetu, Anant Nag, Vinaya Prakash and Doddanna; Music: V. Manohar; Rating: ***

'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' once again proves that Phani Ramachandra excels as a maker of clean and entertaining comedies.

The next in line in the Ganesha series after 'Ganeshana Maduve', 'Ganeshana Galaate', 'Gowri Ganesha' and 'Ganesha-Subramanya', 'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' too caters to all classes of audience. The earlier films in the series continue to be hits in the DVD circuit now.

After a long gap from the film industry, Phani comes back to direct 'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' that is sure to win over audiences with its great comedy quotient. Phani, through the film, sends the message that compatible mindsets are essential for the success of a marriage.

And though the film at times seems like a discourse on the merits and demerits of love and arranged marriages, it still ends up being a good entertainer.

'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' reflects the aspirations, emotions and dreams of the tradition-bound lower middle class families. But the film suffers because of poor music composition by V. Manohar and the background score could also have been better.

The cinematography is just average. If the technical aspects of this film were more advanced, 'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' could have been an even better film.

Ganesha, the protagonist, is brought up in traditional moorings in a village near Sakleshpur, and he gets a job in Bangalore as a software engineer. His father wants him to stay in a Vataara, a cluster of middle class houses, belonging to his friend Padmanabhacharya, who is a strict disciplinarian.

Being a youngster with a modern outlook, Ganesha finds many paradoxes in Padmanabhacharya's family. He likes Gayathri, the second daughter of Padmanabhacharya, who is also attached to traditional values and beliefs. Ganesha persuades her parents and the two get married.

Padmanabhacharya's first daughter, meanwhile, has an inter-caste marriage. While her father doesn't approve of the match initially, he relents later.

As the story proceeds, Ganesha gets disillusioned with Gayathri and Padmanabhacharya's first daughter's marriage also sours. The film shows how these problems get sorted out. See this film to enjoy the few laughs it provides.

Veteran actors Anant Nag, Vinaya Prakash and Doddanna are superb. Vijaya Raghavendra shows his mastery over comedy and he also displays his singing talent in a song. Pragna also shows class.

'Ganesha Maththe Bandha' is a sure entertainer and family audiences will definitely like it.