Miss California is a film that has new faces in the lead, but experienced and competent people as technicians. It is produced by a team of NRI Kannadigas and based on the popular novel Megha Mandara by C N Muktha.

The film has been shot abroad and has two NRI girls in the lead roles. Ravi Dattatreya, a music enthusiast from California, provides the music. Strangely, everything seems okay, yet the end product somehow fails to satisfy viewers. The fault may lie with director Kodlu Ramakrishna. It is another matter that he directed the award-winning Udhbhava.

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Among the negative points, first and foremost is the film's slow pace. The director fails to extract good work from the inexperienced new faces. The triangular love story provides the opportunity for a good, emotionally charged film, but that doesn't happen. Full marks for the visual treat that the film is though, courtesy camera work by Mahendra. Be it the interiors of Theerthahalli in Karnataka or vibrant American cities, it all looks captivating.

A film based on a popular literary work is certainly like an oasis in the desert for the Kannada film industry, which has only badly made remakes these days. If Kodlu had taken the time to get a good screenplay, the film would have been different. This one fails to move you because the emotional sequences are narrated in a haphazard manner.

It all starts with a Karnataka-based wildlife photographer called Diganth, on his way to America to collect an award. He meets his relatives who have been there for more than two decades. He also meets Janu, a beautiful girl interested in knowing more about her roots and cultural traditions. When her family comes to India to attend a marriage, Janu's friendship with Diganth gets stronger. But Diganth has a lover called Sowmya. When Janu falls in love with him, both girls face emotional turmoil.

The performances of the lead artists leave much to be desired. Diganth is a big letdown and has not made any efforts to act. Janu looks stunning in many sequences, but she has not been able to deliver the right emotions. Sowmya's performance is below average. Veteran artists Sharat Babu, Geetha, Dattanna and Jayanthi have done their best, while Ravi Dattatreya's music is just about okay.

Despite the minor flaws though, Miss California is definitely above average.

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