Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side B) movie review rating: Three and half stars out of five
Can movie love stories steer clear of stereotypes and consistently engage? Director Hemanth M. Rao’s sequel to his poetic love saga Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A does that and a little more.
Manu (Rakshit Shetty) after having asked Priya (Rukmini Vasanth) to let go of him, is finally out of prison. Even as a former prison mate helps him find a job, Manu sets out in search of Priya. He befriends a sex worker Surabhi (Chaithra J. Achar) and gently gains her confidence to aid him in his search.
Manu finally locates Priya. He discovers that she is married, has a school-going son, but is going through hard times. Priya’s husband has suffered losses in the restaurant business due to covid-19. Manu decides to help Priya and her family. How does he go about it forms the rest of the Kannada love drama Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side B).
Screenplay, story, characters
Writers Gundu Shetty and Hemanth M. Rao ensures the conclusion never feels contrived. Manu’s actions are relatable, as is his frustration in trying to mend things. The audio cassettes that Priya sent to Manu in prison are beautifully used to drive this love saga. The plot points that led to Manu’s imprisonment and the enemies he made at prison, are nicely fitted in.
The one-man bashing up a dozen men finale, though threatening to fall into illogical territory, is eventually handled by clever minimalism. The Manu-Priya dream sequence ties beautifully to the events in Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A.
Manu is written beautifully as the lost, doomed lover. The impressive writing is showcased in Priya’s arc. The writers do not fall into the usual tropes. There is a delicate balance in showing Priya’s struggles, and how she appears as Manu’s motivation and lost, distant love in the screenplay.
Another writing ace is of how sex worker Surabhi is fitted to organically form an unpredictable love triangle. Prakash (Gopal Krishna Deshpande) as the loyal friend is an excellent example of telling more in minimal dialogues. Soma (Ramesh Indira), the villain in the tale, is a menacing presence, though some plot points about his power and his gang could have been tweaked for realism.
Performances, music, cinematography
Rakshit Shetty stands out solid as the troubled, much in love Manu. His performance is beautifully understated, even in the punch-throwing finale. The beautiful Rukmini Vasanth tops her first part performance with a wonderfully wearied, worn out turn as the married Priya.
Chaithra J. Achar is delightful as the cheerful sex worker. Her charming turns as she lures her customers to return, her jealousy in love, is nicely modulated. JP Tuminad as Priya’s husband Deepak is a bit sketchily written. His reaction to the big reveal needed to be more uproarious than it turns out to be.
Ramesh Indira is terrific as Soma, the thorn in Manu’s life, despite the villain clichés in the final act.
Charan Raj’s songs are sparingly, fittingly placed for mood, his background score matches the movie’s balanced tone, no loud dramatic tones, that works for both parts of Sapta Saagaradaache Ello.
Advaitha Gurumurthy’s cinematography is sturdy without going for epic sweeps. My favourite parts are of the sunlight piercing through the torn billboard, how Priya is momentarily happy by the streaming light, and how the dream sequence parts are lit.
Rao and Sunil S. Bharadwaj’s editing is largely tight, hardly anything seems stretched in the 142-minute running time.
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side B) movie review
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side B)Â is a great take for any filmmaker who think love stories are passe. Director Hemanth M. Rao brings it home by reflecting social realities, depicting prison routines and creating realistic flesh-and-blood lovers that we can root and care for.
If you liked Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side A), Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side B) is a largely convincing, satisfactory conclusion to the Manu-Priya love story. Don’t miss it. Both movies are among the best Indian movies of 2023.
As seen on Amazon Prime Video
(Article by Snehith Kumbla)
