Sanju Weds Geetha 2 review: This sequel to the cult classic is a damp squib

There has been a lot of anticipation about Nagshekar’s Sanju Weds Geetha 2 starring Srinagara Kitty and Rachita Ram, with Sanju Weds Geetha (2011) remaining a cult favourite for Kannada film fans.

This film, thus, had a lot riding on its shoulders. Unfortunately, barring the rainy setting of the film, it has barely anything else that comes close to creating the magic of the original.

The first one had love, heartbreak, conflicts and a tragic ending that left a lasting impression. This time around, the story seems one-tone with barely any twists and turns, and most of the narrative relies heavily on voiceovers and dialogues, making it tedious after a point, despite having the most beautiful visuals throughout.

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A poor storyline

When one talks about good romantic films, the meet-cute moment is what remains pivotal to establishing the love story. There has been absolute lethargy in terms of building that moment.

Be it the way the scenes have been constructed, the dialogues or the way a rich, entitled Geetha goes towards finding her dream man who she has no idea about but has fallen in love with is not believable.

Also, the treatment seems tone-deaf in terms of the sensitivity and self-awareness of the characters. One can let go to a little extent in terms of a sense of disbelief to enjoy cinema, but this film stretches that a little too much.

Also, Geetha, who is reminiscing about her life with Sanju on her 10th wedding anniversary, hardly seems to have the needed chemistry with Sanju for a couple that needed to be so in love.

There are also characters like Rangayana Raghu or Ragini Dwivedi who enter and exit the film without any reason. The film does have a small reason as to why it moves to Switzerland for the second half, but the emotional anchoring for the story does not weigh enough for that to pull through either.

Good looking, but that’s it

The biggest asset of the film is Satya Hegde’s cinematography. Every scene looks ethereal. But that is just where the aesthetics end in many ways.

The background score sometimes shifts jarringly, maybe because of the narrative that suddenly shifts from a random comic relief scene to a poignant emotional one with little connection.

In fact, this lack of complete coherence in the narrative is probably a big reason why one might not feel invested in the film despite good-looking frames.

Lead actors Srinagara Kitty and Rachita Ram seem to have done a more than earnest job in giving what the filmmaker wants of them, but we wish they have a more competent story to complement their performance.

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Final take

Sanju Weds Geetha 2 has a good one-liner idea, but the way it has been expanded into the two-hour-long film is where it has a problem. There was scope for a beautiful timeless love story, but what remains is not even a semblance of one.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)