This is an avant-garde film in the early career of debutant director who is a very popular commercial actor Sudeep of Kannada cinema. Sudeep has done experiment in the past. He had taken a big task by playing a challenging role in 'Swathi Muthyam'.
No ruffle. Everything is subtle. As an actor and director Sudeep is superb. The film sustains the interest till the last frame. Sudeep has taken very good care and his attempt is daring. Like how he has the difficulty in understanding the Malayalam language on screen the Kannada audience also find it difficult to understand the language.
For those who have not seen the original Tamil film this Kannada film is a new experience. You start seeing the film from your eyes. In the later reels it reaches your heart and maximum of viewers may feel their autograph is on the screen.
Shanker comes back to his roots to meet his friends in the childhood to handover his marriage invitation. The film opens up in the flash back now and then and the past of Shanker is also unveiled. Shanker in the school days becomes very close to Lakshmi (Deepu) in the college days he falls in love with Lathika (Sridevika) and in the work place he becomes a close friend to Divya (Meena) and in marriage he settles down with Rashmi.
These stages in the life of Shanker are explained in touching style and there is no exaggeration. His father is a post office staff and thus he shuffles from one place to another place. The tragedy strikes Shanker when his childhood loving friend Lakshmi does not turn up for college after 10 th standard. The tender love is explained in a convincing style. The same Lakshmi he meets after a few years with two children to her. He is shocked at the transformation when he handover the invitation of his marriage. In the case of Lathika also the wrong moves of her family shatter her love with Shanker. Shanker who is so intimate to Lathika struggles hard to get her but it all go in vain. He sees Lathika as widow when he comes to handover his marriage invitation. Shanker meets Divya who puts lot of courage to him prefer to be a friend for ever to him. In the climax he ties the nuptial knot to Rashmi. All his friends land up in Shanker's marriage. This is what his short graph in life.
This is an emotional filled role for Sudeep. He is slowly turning another Dr.Vishnuvardhana in emotion roles. Meena is awesome. Sridevika is very charming and Deepa is very diligent. Srinivasamurthy the senior supporting actor is apt.
The two unforgettable areas of this film are music and cinematography. The three songs are very good and the capture of those songs in the film is a treat to the eyes. On the whole photography is simply spectacular. The background score by Rajesh Ramanath is also precise.
The lacuna of the film is the length. The first half could have been chopped.