Mata Movie Review : A film with potential, but fails to live up to the expectations

Plot: Journalist Santhosh is very inquisitive and decides to travel across Karnataka on his bike to do research on monasteries in the state.

The story unfurls with the protagonist being arrested by the police and creating a buzz in the state, with politicians and pontiffs influencing the police to release him immediately.

Santhosh sets out on a journey, visiting several matts, where he finds out about their contribution to society and how every caste has a matt for their own benefit instead of working for the welfare of the people. Santhosh feels blessed to visit matts which are doing yeoman service to society, but there are others that have colluded with politicians for their own benefit. During his journey, he also falls in love with a girl, but rejects the marriage proposal as he intends to continue his mission.

Mata, which is inspired by real incidents and revolves around Santhosh's character, has a subject which is less explored, but falls flat in the portrayal. Though this is the second film with a similar title in Sandalwood, the movie is not connected to the 2006 version. The core element of the movie, monasteries, is hardly touched upon and and fails to live up to expectations. Nor does it delve deep into the subject. Even the performance by Santhosh is average and songs in the movie fail to lift the flagging storyline.