Debut director Yogi G Raj has expertly executed an ingenious idea with his very first Kannada film, Kushi Kushiyagi. The film’s success lies in the fact that it has faithfully followed the original Telugu film Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde. And the fact that he cleverly brought in hit jodi Ganesh and Amulya to play the lead pair.
Kushi Kushiyagi is a romantic comedy with an amusing premise based on a case of mistaken identity and a series of phone conversations.
Raj (Ganesh) falls for a girl at the very first sight. He enlists the help of his friend Sadhu (Sadhu Kokila) to get her number and begins to interact with her over the phone. She talks to him without ever revealing her name and they become friends=.
Meanwhile Raj also dispenses love tips to his friend Anand (actor Anand) who is also attracted to a girl called Priya (Nandini Rai). Raj’s romantic advice works out for his friend and Anand and Priya’s love story takes off. However, when Raj is introduced to Priya, he is shocked to find out that she is the girl he had fallen for in the first place. Then who is the girl on the phone that he has been baring his soul to?
The second half of the story revolves around this twist in the tale. Does Raj manage to convince his friend’s girl friend that he and not Anand is the man of her dreams? What about the mysterious girl on the phone who thought that Raj was her Mr Right?
The entire film progresses through a series of conversations and it is through them that the two couples find their true loves. This laugh-out- loud comedy has some super situations which deliver the perfect consignment of fun and succeeds in enthralling the audience with its lighthearted tone.
Kushi Kushiyagi provides wholesome entertainment with well constructed characters and situations as well as snappy dialogues and good comic timing. In fact there are moments in the film that are truly hysterical.
The Ganesh and Amulya combination has worked really well for the film. Ganesh is top-notch in his acting and he executes his role perfectly with spontaneous humour as well as his cool quotient. Amulya also matches Ganesh’s act and even draws in some elements of grey into her role as a young girl who dreams of an ideal romance. Their onscreen chemistry works really well and the film has all the ingredients that will create a hat-trick for the pair.
Sadhu Kokila and Anand who plays the friend character are good in their supporting roles. The combined comic timing of this trio works well for the film as a whole.
The film offers quite the visual treat, thanks to the colourful costumes, that match with the setting. Credit goes to cinematographer HC Venu for capturing the fun elements of the film with a vibrant colour palette as well. A collection of good melodies by Anoop Rubens adds to the overall vibe of the film.
A neat little trim by the editor could have made it slicker. However, this crib aside, the film does not disappoint and provides dollops of laughter. Watch it and start the year with a smile. The 155 minutes spent watching this film go by in a breeze.