Luv U Alia

Love U Alia (Kannada: ಲವ್ ಯು ಆಲಿಯಾ) is a 2015 Indian Kannada romance drama film written and directed by Indrajit Lankesh. It stars V. Ravichandran, Bhoomika Chawla, Chandan Kumar and Sangeetha Chauhan nikesha Patel in the lead roles, while P. Ravi Shankar, Sayaji Shinde, Sadhu Kokila and Sudharani appear in prominent roles. The plot revolves around an estranged couple whose daughter has lost belief in the institution of marriage. It follows a boy, who on falling in love with her, wins over her, on re-uniting her parents. The movie was a massive box office disaster.

The production was launched on 26 October 2014.^[1] The cinematography was done by Santosh Rai Pathaje and was edited by Suresh D. H. The soundtrack was composed by Jassie Gift, who collaborated with J. J. Vallisa to score the background music.

Cast

Soundtrack

J. J. Vallisa scored the film's background music and the soundtrack was composed by Jassie Gift, lyrics for which was penned Kaviraj. The soundtrack album consists of five tracks.^[2] The track "Kuntre Nintre", a remixed version of a track of the same name from the 1985 film Trishula, was included in the album.^[3] Poet Siddalingaiah had written the lyrics for the track, and the remixed version featured additional lyrics by Kaviraj.^[4] The album was released on 15 June 2015 in the studios of the sketch comedy show, Majaa Talkies in Bangalore, as part of the film's promotions.^[5]

Critical reception

ytalkies.com reviewed the soundtrack album and called it an "average album" with "not a not a single melody song". The reviewer felt the track "Sanjeveleli", a "solo romantic number in the voice of Javed Ali [gave] a pleasant opening to the album". He called the other tracks " too loud" or that it lacked "quality lyrics".^[3] The New Indian Express in its review wrote that the music "add[ed] texture" to the film "through songs" with "Jessie's tactful music and Kaviraj's lyrics". The reviewer felt, "the song 'Sanje velali' adds to the charm of the film."^[6]

Release and reception

Luv U Alia was given the "U/A" (Parental Guidance) certificate by the Regional Censor Board in the first week of September 2015. Lankesh, the director, said that "A" part of the certificate was because of the item number "Kamakshi" in the film and "for a lip-lock scene". However, M. Nagendra Swamy, the Regional Censor Board officer said that it was because of an extensive usage of dialogues in double entendre. These, uttered by Sadhu Kokila, and the item number featuring Sunny Leone prompted the Board for the film to be given a "U/A" certificate.^[7]

Upon theatrical release, the film received mixed reviews from critics. Praising the performance of the lead actors in the film, critics criticized the screenplay and the lavish setting of the film. Writing for The New Indian Express, A. Sharadhaa wrote, "A contemporary family drama, Luv U Alia does not come across as a mishmash of characters, but has a streamlined narration that takes you through the nuances of love, marriage and divorce." She added, "Indrajit has created situational set pieces that do justice to the ensemble star cast and backdrops... Cinematographer Santhosh Rai Pathaje has followed Indrajit's narrative perfectly. Even Ravi Shankar comes across as a cool antagonist and brings out the lighter side of his character." and further wrote, "While senior actors like Ravichandran and Bhoomika seem quite comfortable with their roles, it is the young Chandan who makes the most out of this romantic family drama."^[6] Reviewing the film for The Hindu, Archana Nathan calling the film "flamboyant but vacuous", wrote, "With every frame, Indrajit constructs a specific kind of spectacle — an upper class, glossy one full of revving bikes, exotic locations and five star hotels. However, there is very little strength in the script of the film to carry these grand frames successfully until the end."^[8] Shyam Prasad S. of Bangalore Mirror rated the film three out of five, and wrote, "Luv U Alia is a visual extravaganza; colourful with eye candy" and added, "The first half of the film is a comedy shouldered by Ravishankar as a bumbling don. It is in the second half that the real story between Ravichandran and Bhoomika opens up. But here the comedy of Sadhu Kokila and Shakeela is a drag and the film would have done without it and made the second half a lot crispier."^[9]

S. Viswanath of Deccan Herald also rated the film 3/5 and wrote, "Lankesh highlights how personal egos and overt professional pursuits drive otherwise perfect couples to divorce, the marital discord having an impact on the children of such marriages." He concluded writing, "The comic interludes are horrendous and the romantic bits reprehensible" and criticized the performance of the cast.^[10] Shashiprasad S. M. of Deccan Chronicle rated the film 2/5 and wrote, "Regardless of the outcome, every frame the director has captured through his cinematographer looks like a beautiful painting worth preserving it with a frame." He concluded criticizing the film's "unsavory comedy" and further wrote, "[t]hough the director’s good intention looks good talking about the sensitive issue such as divorce and its repercussion on the child but unfortunately it does not feel good after more than hours of experience."^[11]

References

External links

• Luv U Alia at the Internet Movie Database