Mungaru Male
 |
| Mungaru Male | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster | |
| Directed by | Yograj Bhat |
| Produced by | E Krishnappa |
| Starring | Ganesh Sanjana Gandhi Anant Nag Padmaja Rao Sudha Belavadi |
| Music by | Mano Murthy |
Release dates | 29 December, 2006 |
Running time | 137 mins |
| Language | Kannada |
Mungaru Male (Kannada: ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ) (literal translation - Monsoon Rain, Southwest Monsoon in terms of Meteorology) is a Kannada language movie directed by Yograj Bhat featuring Ganesh, Sanjana Gandhi, and Anant Nag in leading roles. The movie is one of the biggest hits in South Indian cinema with box office earnings crossing Rs 75 Crores at the end of 400 days after its release. In fact, it is seen as a movie making careers of Ganesh, Yograj Bhat and Jayant Kaikini.[1] The movie set a national record as the first Indian language movie to run for 1 year at PVR Cinemas Bangalore.[2] Hence it creates the World Record of first film to be screened for one year in a multiplex. It was remade in Telugu as Vaana in 2008.[3]
It was also remade in Bengali as Premer Kahini in 2008.[4]
General background
Director Yograj Bhat had earlier dabbled in advertising and corporate films though they were critically acclaimed. His previous ventures Mani, starring Mayur and Radhika and Ranga S.S.L.C., starring Sudeep Sanjeev sank at the box office. Disappointed, he began working on the script of Mungaru Male.[5] He had narrated the script to Puneeth Rajkumar who rejected it.[6] "Comedy Time" Ganesh, whose first film Chellata was a moderate success, liked the script and introduced Yograj Bhat to producer E. Krishnappa. Krishnappa agreed to fund the movie. Since Yograj Bhat couldn't get dates from Kannada actresses, he signed a relatively unknown actress Sanjana Gandhi.
The film's lyrics were penned by Jayanth Kaikini and the music was composed by music director Mano Murthy.
Plot
The protagonist Preetam (Ganesh), on a visit to M G Road(a famous place in Bangalore) amidst a heavy wind, spots a pretty girl, Nandini (Pooja Gandhi). Whilst staring at her, he inadvertently falls into a manhole. Nandini rescues him from the pit, but in the process loses her heart-shaped watch she had just bought.
While accompanying his mother to Madikeri, Preetam confronts a man named Jaanu (Neenaasam Ashwath). Jaanu, who has been following Nandini, beats up Preetam thinking that he is in love with Nandini. Preetam, unaware that Jaanu has vowed not to allow any one near Nandini, trashes Jaanu and his gang in return.
In Madikeri, Preetam meets Nandini unexpectedly. He identifies himself and expresses his love towards her and offers to tie the watch as an indication for their marriage. Nandini, who is already engaged rejects his request. Still, Preetam vows to marry Nandini if she meets him again. In the meantime, Preetam discovers that his host in Madikeri, Col. Subbayya (Anant Nag) is Nandini's father, who is pretty much deaf and Nandini's marriage is a just a week away. Dejected, Preetam throws Nandini's heart-shaped watch away. But Nandini calls him over the phone and taunts him to return. Delighted, Preetam goes in search of her watch and brings it back. While searching it, he spots a rabbit, which he calls as Devadas and brings it along with him.
Since Nandini's friends are due to arrive from Mumbai for marriage, Preetam takes Nandini to the railway station. The train from Mumbai is delayed by five hours, so Nandini and Preetam decide to visit a nearby hill-temple. While returning from the temple, Preetam and Nandini are caught in rain. An old couple offers Preetam and Nandini to take shelter inside their hut. Preetam, still in two minds about expressing his love to Nandini, grabs a couple of toddy bottles, goes out in rain and starts drinking. However, when Nandini walks towards him, offering an umbrella, he is under a state of intoxication and tells Nandini that he'd better stay away from Nandini to remain a decent boy, rather than to propose to or elope away with her.
Nandini is now in love with Preetam and is in a dilemma as her wedding is due in a few days. Nandini requests him to take her to the top of a waterfall and expresses her love towards Preetam, standing at the edge of the waterfall.
Preetam, intent on marrying Nandini, takes her father, Subbayya for a morning jog to discuss his marriage with Nandini. But Subbayya a heart patient, tells Preetham that he's expected to die anytime and his only aim in life is to get Nandini married off to Gautam (Diganth). On the night before the marriage, Preetam drives away from the house without taking Devadas. He then starts drinking the whole night in a road-side bar. He finds Gautam, asking the bar-owner for directions to Subbayya's home. When Jaanu tries to kill Gautam, Preetam saves Gautam and convinces jolly that only Gautam is the best person to marry Nandini.
Next day, he drops Gautam to the marriage house, just in time for the marriage. He then declines to attend Gautam's marriage. Gautam asks for the heart-shaped watch as a remembrance but Preetham does not agree to give it. Preetam then leaves. Meanwhile, on the wedding day everyone is searching for Preetam, but he is nowhere to be found. His mother is the only one who know the truth about his love, and is worried of his whereabouts, but does not show her worry.
With a sigh in his eyes, Preetam watches the arch proclaiming "Gautham weds Nandini". As he is leaving, he spots Devadas and takes it with him. He drives towards Bangalore, all the while expressing his disappointment to Devadas, but later he comes to know that Devadas is dead.
Cast
"Comedy Time" Ganesh - Preetam
Sanjana Gandhi - Nandini
Ananth Nag - Colonel Subbayya
Sudha Belwadi - Kamala
Padmaja Rao - Bablee
Diganth - Gautam
Neenasam Ashwath - Jolly
Crew
Director - Yograj Bhat
Producer - E. Krishnappa
Cinematography - Krishna
Editing - Deepu S. Kumar
Story - Preetham Gubbi
Dialogues - Yograj Bhat/Preetham Gubbi
Lyrics - Jayanth Kaikini, Yograj Bhat, Kaviraj, Shiva
Choreography- Harsha,Raghu
Art - Ismail
Music - Mano Murthy
Singers - Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Hemanth Kumar, Kunal Ganjawala, Shreya Ghosal, Priya Hemesh, Stephen & Sunidhi Chauhan.
Shooting Locations
The film was mainly shot during the rainy season, especially in places like Madikeri,Sakaleshpura, Jog falls and Gadag.
Songs
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| SL.No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onde Ondu Sari | Kunal Ganjawala, Priya Hemesh. |
| 2 | Mungaru Maleye | Sonu Nigam. |
| 3 | Kunidu Kunidu Baare | Udit Narayan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Stephen. |
| 4 | Anisuthide | Sonu Nigam. |
| 5 | Suvvi Suvvali | Hemanth Kumar. |
| 6 | Ivanu Geleyanalla | Shreya Goshal. (Tune similar to Mungaru Maleye) |
| 7 | Araluthiru | Shreya Goshal. (Tune similar to Anisuthide). |
- Lyrics: Kaviraj, Yograj Bhat, Jayanth Kaikini, Shiva
- Music: Mano Murthy
Reception
Box office
The film opened to a good response among the audiences. The film completed 100 days in 108 cinema halls all over Karnataka.[7] In remaining parts of Karnataka it is shown 504 times a day ever since the release.[8]The film also been released with 150 prints all over Karnataka [9]. This film ran to paked houses on weekdays in PVR Multiplex [10]. The remake rights of the movie were acquired by Mr Suryaprakash Rao of SPR Entertainers India Private Limited for Rs. 1.5 crores for Tamil and Telugu combined. Mungaaru Male was running housefull after 1 year in more than 25 centres. The film has totally grossed Rs.75 crores.[11]
It also got released in Andra Pradesh, Mumbai(bombay), USA, Australia, Canada.[1]
Reviews and critiques
The film received lukewarm to average reviews. Rediff.com awarded three-star (meant quite good) rating and praised its cinematography, technical values and acting only of Ganesh and Anant Naag, but opined that the story was flawed.Nowrunning.com felt that the film lacked a credible story line and gave too much importance to music and song picturisation. Kannada portal Thatskannada.com praised the film for its content, narration and usage of rain as a metaphor for love. Indicine.com[1] gave it Four stars. This film caught the fancy of all in Bangalore and around.
Audio Sales
The film's audio cassettes and CD's had an unprecedented demand and a huge presence in terms of radio airplay. Its audio had record sales. Sonu Nigam's songs were the toast of the town. The fascinating thing was the huge popularity of the songs even among non - kannadiga audiences.
Awards
The film won the best Kannada film award for the year 2006-07 given by Government of Karnataka. Filmfare awards:it won two film fare awards for best music and direction for Manomurthy and yograjbutt respectively. [12]
Notes
- Bhat's earlier ventures Mani and Ranga SSLC sank at the box office, So no one had any expectations from him. However, the movie went on to rewrite records in Kannada filmdom. The impact was so big, that Bhat's next movie Gaalipata though ran well, it was overshadowed by Mungaru Male.
- Ganesh, was involved in the script making stage and was curious to act in the movie. He got the director Bhat to meet his acquaintance E Krishnappa. Since Krishnappa knew Ganesh (both hailed from Adakamaranahalli, Nelamangala), he agreed to finance the film. Krishnappa, had mentioned druring the making of the fim that Ganesh was a kid, who had played on his laps and he's very happy to finance a movie starring Ganesh.
- Anisutide Yako Indu, the most popular song in the movie was composed and written through to and forth SMS co-ordination between music director Mano Murthy and lyricist Jayanth Kaikini. Manomurthy is a resident of California whereas Jayanth Kaikini stays in Bengaluru. While the crew was busy shooting in Byakrolli, near Sakaleshapur, Jayanth was touring North Karnataka. Per requests by Yogaraj Bhat to improvise the lyric, there arose need for SMS exchanges.
- This is Ganesh's second film as a hero, the first being Chellaata, which was a moderate success.
- E Krishnappa also proposed the title Mungaaru Male. In fact, Krishnappa thought Mungaaru Male was an idiom used by farmers and would jell-well with the subject.
- The making of Mungaaru Male was published in the Kannada weekly magazine Sudha. Written by Yogaraj Bhat, it caught popular imagination.
- Krishna, the camera man was a part-time photographer, prior to the film. His camera work was praised by one and all and is considered as the highlight of the film.
- The success of the movie and the enormous cash surplus generated by the movie, caught attention of I.T authorities and it was reported that IT Department raided the producers offices.
- The script writer of the movie Preetham Gubbi has announced the movie Mungaru Male-2, causing chagrin to the producer E. Krishnappa over using the title.
- Ganesh went on to be "Golden Boy" of Kannada filmdom and is known as "Golden Star". He has become a major draw and all his movies after Mungaru Male have garnered success in 2006-07.
Footnotes
- ^ a b "Karnataka's heartthrob Ganesh secretly marries". Swetha Balasubramania. CNN-IBN. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- ^ "'Mungaru Male' National record". Correspondent. IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ http://www.idleburra.com/2007/04/mungaru-male-in-telugu.html
- ^ "Premer Kahini - ScreenIndia.Com". www.screenindia.com. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ The Magic of Mungaaru Male: Interview with Director Yogaraj Bhat
- ^ viggy.com Kannada Film Discussion Board - exclusive platform for Kannada cinema - Mungaru Male Earned 75 crores
- ^ Trendsetter- The Hindu
- ^ Being Biggest box office hit in Kannada cinema history.Kannada-cinema-boasts-of-new-faces - IBNLive
- ^ Sify Movies
- ^ and the only film in the world to have completed one year in a Multiplex.The Hindu
- ^ Mungaru Male National Record
- ^ "State awards". Retrieved 2007-07-22.