Gaalipata 2

Plot: Three former college friends take a trip back to their college in Neerkote to check on their favourite Kannada lecturer, who they hear has been experiencing some hallucinations. As they head to meet him with the hope of helping him out in some way, we are introduced to the lives of the trio while they were in the college, their misadventures, romances as well as an untoward incident that changes their lives.

Review: The film Gaalipata held a special place in the hearts of Kannada movie fans for its characters, music, dialogues and the locations it was shot at. In the sequel, Gaalipata 2, director Yogaraj Bhat has stuck to the essence of the USPs of the first film and focused on three friends and their quest to find romance and more in life. Additionally, it offers a look into complex emotions and not so perfect love stories. And that is where the sequel scores.

Gaalipata 2 is a tale of closure of sorts for four different individuals - three students and one teacher. Each of them has unresolved conflicts and is dealing with inner demons while trying to put on a brave front. The film has a breezy first half that showcases fun and camaraderie shot in picturesque locales. When things seem to be going just fine, one incident disrupts the lives of all the protagonists. Do they manage to deal with it?

Through this story, the director’s message is that one must step out of his or her comfort zone at times to find closure to unresolved feelings, which he showcases quite literally. The protagonists travel to the Turkish border and it is here that they end up having difficult conversations, and coming to terms with complex emotions.

The locations, music, dialogues and cast work beautifully, with a story that is almost on point. The sequence that features the song Prayashaha which leads to the climax is the highlight. However, the actual climax might leave you a tad underwhelmed. With too many protagonists in the film, only some of the individual stories got to a justifiable ending, while the others seemed rushed over.

Ganesh delivers what's expected from him with his usual aplomb. Diganth Manchale moves on from being Doodh to Aghori and is affable onscreen. Pawan Kumar delivers a good performance. Anant Nag is his ever-charming self on screen. The ladies - Sharmiela Mandre, Samyuktha Menon and Vaibhavi Shandilya justify their casting with good performances. Rangayana Raghu and Sudha Belawadi deserve a special mention, especially for their emotional scenes in the second half. Gaalipata 2 is definitely worth an outing to the screen this weekend for Kannada film buffs.