Rhythm

By Susmita Sameera
Sanju (Manju Milan), a popular Kannada singer, gets to travel to Singapore for a major project. There, he meets Sangeeta (Meghashree), a gifted violinist. Their romance blossoms through montage sequences set against Singapore’s iconic tourist spots, filled with vibrant visuals and musical moments. Just as their relationship begins to take shape, conflict arises when Sangeeta’s father (Suman) enters the picture. A man rigid in his beliefs, he insists that his daughter marry only a foreign national and outright disapproves of Sanju for being Indian. Agreeing to her father's wishes and blackmail, Sangeeta parts ways with Sanju.

Shortly after, she discovers she’s pregnant. Under pressure from her father, her loyal caretaker Shantu (Vinaya Prasad) flies to India with the baby. What follows is a long stretch of emotional turbulence — from heartbreak and separation to longing and redemption. Whether Sanju and Sangeeta reunite and find their child forms the emotional core of Rhythm.

The film leans heavily on music, emotional highs, and family drama. Its storyline features a controlling father as villain, buried family secrets, an orphanage in crisis, and a protagonist who drowns in alcohol before eventually stepping up — all set to a recurring signature tune tied to the title, Rhythm. It delivers a familiar mix of melodrama with predictable turns.

While the presence of seasoned actors like Vinaya Prasad, Srinivas Murthy, Mukhyamanthri Chandru, Girija Lokesh, and S Shivaram adds some weight to the narrative and the Singapore backdrop offers a bit of visual appeal, these elements don't do much to elevate the film beyond its dated template. Music is central to the story, but often feels more like filler than an emotional anchor.

If you're into old-school romance — where a boy meets a girl in a foreign land, falls in love, gets separated within a week, and pines for years — paired with generous doses of family melodrama and suspense, Rhythm might strike a chord. But for others, the story may feel outdated and overly sentimental.