Special number Sona Baby from Prajwal Devaraj’s Gana is all titillation and little else

The success of songs like Shake It Pushpavati, Ra Ra Rakkamma, among many others, is perhaps why many Kannada filmmakers still believe that a special number (read item number) with a known, or unknown, face, with a svelte figure and great dancing skills, kitted out in itty-bitty costumes and thrusting certain body parts provocatively, is a sure-shot means to satisfy front-row audiences. If a known face, like Jacqueline Fernandez or Sunny Leone, for instance, is attached to the song, and the hero is also seen busting a move or two, the song is perceived as more upmarket.

In the case of Sona Baby from Prajwal Devaraj’s Gana, there is no such redeeming factor. Yes, they’ve got Namrita Malla, a Bhojpuri actress and dancer, who is not averse to flaunting her figure and showing off some skin, and can pull off some great moves on the dance floor as well. Trouble is that all of this has been packaged into a number that is not very pleasing to the eye. Namrita, no doubt, looks stunning, and shows off just how flexible she can be, but Murali master’s choreography also includes having her down on all fours and twerking her derriere provocatively, while clad in a barely there outfit. The choreography is not the only issue plaguing Sona Baby. Music director Anoop Seelin’s composition is so lacklustre that even Aishwaraya Rangarajan’s vocals cannot salvage it.

Gana, directed by Hariprasad Jakka, also stars Vedhika and Yasha Shivakumar on the cast. When the film’s teaser came out in July, on the occasion of Prajwal’s birthday, netizens had opined that the action-packed entertainer felt reminiscent of the filmmaker’s Telugu film Play Back, with several stating that he had chosen to remake it as his Kannada film debut. If Gana is indeed Play Back, it is about two people from different time periods, who connect over a phone call.