"Kanchanaganga" is certainly not the usual love story, but at the same time it cannot be bracketed with unusual films.
Director S.V. Rajendra Singh has focused more on telling the story in a way that may appeal to a large section of audience.
The editing is crisp and there are many twists and turns in the narration that keeps the audience engrossed. But the interest created subsides in a few sequences. The climax is quite different, and the happy ending may satisfy the fans of Shivaraj Kumar.
The story revolves around Surya (Shivaraj Kumar), who dislikes love and prefers to concentrate on his work. He has killed his own girlfriend in his younger days and develops an aversion to love.
As a costume designer, he wants to create waves and wants his dream girl, a beauty queen, to wear his designs during fashion shows and beauty contests. He meets Urmila (Sridevi), who detests beauty contests and opposes them as she feels they are another way of exploiting women.
Surya encounters Urmila at a rally organised by her to protest against beauty contests. Surya decides Urmila is his dream girl and begs her to be a model and participate in the contest wearing clothes designed by him.
Though Urmila initially opposes Surya's request, she is forced to accept it. At the contest, she wins the crown. The rest of the story is about how this unusual relationship develops.
The director has succeeded in telling the story in a different fashion, avoiding the beaten track.
The songs are picturised well. But the music by S.A. Raj Kumar is a letdown, with the remix of the old hit "Naa ninna mareyalaare" providing the saving grace.
The late Gourishankar's outstanding photography is the highlight of the film.
Shivaraj has delivered a good performance and his hairy get up may appeal to his fans. Sridevi has scored in her first Kannada film and looks glamorous as a beauty queen.
The others are adequate, though the villains - imported from Mumbai - fail to deliver the goods. Sadhu Kokila has been able to generate a few laughs.
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