Nanna Preetiya Hudugi - Anuradha Paudwal dominates..

anna Preethiya Hudugi is a love story set on an American campus. Anuradha Paudwal slips up on her enunciation, B Jayasree and Suresh Peters shine, and Ramprasad makes a comeback

Remember the song Baanalli odo megha, girigo ninthalle yoga? That was from Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar's hit Kannada movie America America. Mano Murthy's fast-track music, Rajesh Krishnan's fresh voice, and above all H S Venkatesh Murthy's lyricism turned that song into a huge success. The theme of the movie was framed within that song.

California-settled Mano Murthy is back, after America America, with a score for Nanna Preethiya Hudugi, Nagathihalli's latest film, a love story set on an American campus.

The story revolves around a Kundapura boy who falls in love with a girl settled in America. If India versus the Land of Opportunity was the theme in America America, here Nagathihalli looks at problems of adjustment within a relationship. From remarks I've heard from people who saw the movie, and the reactions I noticed at the theatres, the audiences seem to have taken quite a liking to new faces Deepali (a Chamarajpet girl who lives in the US) and Dyan (a model from Mumbai).

The flute is the hero's favourite instrument, but Mano Murthy doesn't use it as the predominant instrument in his score. Nagathihalli has penned all the songs, except the title number (credited to Shashikala Chandrashekhar). The English subtitle for Nanna Preethiya Hudugi is "My favourite girl". Shouldn't it be "The girl I love"?

The album provides a comeback song for singer Ramprasad, a software engineer who is now settled in the US. Hariharan and Anuradha Paudwal are not very impressive. Anuradha especially is not comfortable with her Kannada. She has been around in the language for a while (Was Kannada naadina jeevanadi from Jeevanadi her first Kannada film song?).

Mano Murthy uses Anuradha's voice in three songs out of six. Non-Kannadigas like Hariharan and Suresh Peters manage a decent Kannada pronunciation, while Anuradha falters, for instance, when she has to say ile (meaning the earth).

But why Anuradha in so many numbers? Sangeeta Katti, a well-known name in Kannada light music gets a chance in only one song, where she proves her mettle. Nandita, who sings frequently in Kannada films, also gets only one song.

The most familiar track in the album is Car car car. It made me dance when I first heard it. B Jayasree, a popular name in Kannada theatre, uses her high-pitched voice effectively. Suresh Peters brings in a pop punch. The song marvels at the contrasts between India and the US. A car is everything in the US but in India people make do with any transport they get, and even enjoy traveling on the tops of overcrowded buses! This number gets frequent airing on the TV channels.