Mungaru Male

Mungaru Male
Movie poster
Directed by	Yograj Bhat
Produced by	E. Krishnappa
Starring	Ganesh Pooja Gandhi Anant Nag Padmaja Rao Sudha Belavadi
Music by	Mano Murthy
Release date(s)	29 December 2006
Running time	137 mins
Language	Kannada

Mungaru Male (Kannada: ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ; English: Pre Monsoon Rain) is a 2006 Kannada language movie directed by Yograj Bhat and produced by E Krishnappa. The film stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi, and Anant Nag in lead roles. The film was a success, exceeding expectations.The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened the careers of Ganesh, Yograj Bhat and Jayant Kaikini.^[1]

This movie was the first in India for any language to be screened for continuously one year in a multiplex.^[2] It was remade in Telugu as Vaana^[3] and in Bengali as Premer Kahini^[4] in 2008. A Hindi language version is underway.^[5]

Background and development

Director Yograj Bhat had earlier dabbled in advertising and corporate films and they were critically acclaimed.^{[citation needed]} His previous ventures, Mani, starring Mayur and Radhika, and Ranga S.S.L.C., starring Sudeep Sanjeev, were not commercial successes at the box office. Bhat was disappointed, and he began working on the script of Mungaru Male.^[6] He had narrated the script to Puneet Rajkumar who rejected it.^[7] Ganesh, whose first film to be released, Chellata, was a moderate success, was involved in the script making stage and was curious to act in the movie. He liked the script and introduced Yograj Bhat to producer E. Krishnappa who was Ganesh's acquaintance. Krishnappa agreed to finance the film, since he knew Ganesh. Since Yograj Bhat was unable to cast well-known Kannada actresses, he signed on a relatively unknown actress, Pooja Gandhi, for the lead female role in the film.

Plot

The protagonist Preetam (Ganesh), on a visit to Eva Mall (a famous Mall in Bangalore) amidst a heavy wind, spots a pretty girl, Nandini (Pooja Gandhi). While 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 Devadas, and brings it along with him.

Since Nandini's friends are due to arrive from Mumbai for the 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 Jaanu 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.

Resignedly, 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

• Ganesh as Preetam
• Pooja Gandhi as Nandini
• Ananth Nag as Colonel Subbayya (Nandini's father)
• Sudha Belwadi as Kamala (Preetam's mother)
• Padmaja Rao as Bablee (Nandini's mother)
• Neenasam Ashwath as Jolly
• Diganth as Gautam (Nandini's fiancé)

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.

Production

Up to 80% of the scenes in the film were shot in the rain.^[8] Shooting locations included Madikeri,^[8] Sakaleshpura,^[8] Jog Falls,^[8] and Gadag. Krishna, the camera man was a part-time photographer prior to the film. His camera work was widely praised and is considered a highlight of the film.^{[citation needed]}

The making of Mungaaru Male was documented in the Kannada weekly magazine Sudha by Yogaraj Bhat.^{[citation needed]}

Soundtrack

Mungaru Male
Soundtrack album by Mano Murthy
Released	2006 (India)
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Label	Jhankar Audio
Producer	Mano Murthy
Mano Murthy chronology
Amruthadhare (2005) Mungaru Male (2006) Cheluvina Chittara Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige (2007)

The songs for the film were composed by music director Mano Murthy. The lyrics were penned by Jayanth Kaikini. "Anisutide Yako Indu", sung by Sonu Nigam, is arguably the most popular song from the movie. It is believed that the final stages of this song was composed and written by coordinating through SMS text messages communicated between Mano Murthy and Jayanth Kaikini. Mano Murthy resides in California, USA, whereas Jayanth Kaikini resides in Bangalore. While the crew was busy shooting in Byakrolli, near Sakaleshapur, Kaikini was touring North Karnataka. The director, Yogaraj Bhat, requested improvisation of the lyrics, leading to the SMS text messages being sent back and forth, between the lyricist and the music director.^{[citation needed]}

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 Yako Indu"	Sonu Nigam
5	"Suvvi Suvvali"	Hemanth Kumar
6	"Ivanu Geleyanalla"	Shreya Goshal (Tune similar to "Mungaru Maleye")
7	"Araluthiru Jeevada Geleya"	Shreya Goshal (Tune similar to "Anisuthide Yako Indu")

• Lyrics: Kaviraj, Yograj Bhat, Jayanth Kaikini, Shiva
• Music: Mano Murthy

Audio sales

The film's audio cassettes and CDs had an unprecedented demand and a huge presence in terms of radio airplay. Its audio had record sales. The songs were hugely popular even among non-Kannada-speaking audiences.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Mungaru Male was received favourably by both the general audience and critics. The film and its soundtrack were both commercially successful.

Box office

It helped in expansion of Kannada film market, which is first of its kind. Made in modest budget of just Rs.90 lakhs, the film went on to earn over Rs. 76 crores . The film rewrote box office records in the Kannada film industry. The impact was so big that Bhat's next movie, Gaalipata, was overshadowed by Mungaru Male. Mungaru Male completed 100 days in all 37 centres in Karnataka.^[9] The film has also been released with 150 prints in Karnataka.^[10] The film ran to packed houses on weekdays in PVR Multiplex and became one of the few films in the world to have completed one year in a multiplex.^[11] Mungaaru Male was being screened at full houses, one year after its release, in more than 26 centres. It grossed over 75 crores, which was an all-time record for a Kannada film at that time.^[12]

The film was also released in Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, USA, Australia and Canada.^{[citation needed]} The success of the film and the enormous cash surplus generated by the movie caught attention of income tax authorities and it was reported that the IT Department raided the producers' offices.^{[citation needed]}

Critical response

The film received lukewarm to average reviews. Rediff.com awarded it a three-star rating and praised its cinematography, technical values, and the acting 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^[8] gave it four stars.

Influence on actors' careers

Ganesh went on to become the "Golden Boy" of the Kannada film industry and acquired the nickname "Golden Star". He became a major draw and all his movies after Mungaru Male garnered success in 2006-07.^{[citation needed]} Pooja Gandhi, who portrayed the female lead role in the film, was relatively unknown prior to Mungaru Male. After the success of the film, she received offers of roles in many films.^{[citation needed]}. Diganth, who played a cameo in the film, got recognition from this film, although he had previously made appearances in Sandeep Malani's Miss California and SMS 6260.

In other languages

The remake rights of Mungaru Male were acquired by Mr Suryaprakash Rao of SPR Entertainers India Private Limited for Rs. 1.5 crores for both the Tamil-language and the Telugu-language versions. The Telugu-language version was released in 2008 as Vaana, meaning rain.^[3] it was remade in begali language as "Premer Kahini". Boney Kapoor is planning to remake the film in Hindi starring either Imran Khan or Ranbir Kapoor.^[13]

Awards

The film was awarded the Best Kannada Film award for the year 2006-07 by the Government of Karnataka (seven awards in total from the Government of Karnataka). Additionally, it also won 3 Filmfare awards for best music, awarded to Mano Murthy, and best direction & best film awarded to Yograj Bhat. However, it did not win a single national award from the Government of India.^[14]

Book on the movie

The director, Yogaraj Bhat, wrote about the making of Mungaru Male in the book Haage Summane, which was released on the occasion of the silver jubilee celebration for the movie.^[15]

See also

• Vaana
• Premer Kahini

Notes

1. ^ Jayant Kaikini
2. ^ "'Mungaru Male' National record". Correspondent. IndiaGlitz. http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/article/35125.html. Retrieved 2007-12-08. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Mungaru Male in Telugu
4. ^ "Premer Kahini - ScreenIndia.Com". www.screenindia.com. http://www.screenindia.com/news/Premer-Kahini/303194/. Retrieved 2008-11-04. 
5. ^ Imran, Ranbir in 'Mungaru Male' Bolly remake
6. ^ The Magic of Mungaaru Male: Interview with Director Yogaraj Bhat
7. ^ viggy.com Kannada Film Discussion Board - exclusive platform for Kannada cinema - Mungaru Male Earned 7.5 crores
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} Indicine.com - Mungaru Male movie review
9. ^ Kannada cinema boasts of new faces - IBNLive
10. ^ Sify Movies
11. ^ The Kannada movie Milana also completed one year in PVR Multiplex. The Hindu
12. ^ "Karnataka's heartthrob Ganesh secretly marries". IBN Movies. February 12, 2008. "...Mungaaru Male, which broke all records, earning Rs 76 crores."
13. ^ Imran, Ranbir in 'Mungaru Male' Bolly remake
14. ^ "State awards". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070929131626/http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul202007/state2007072014050.asp?section=updatenews. Retrieved 2007-07-22. 
15. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/gallery/Events/12731.html

References

• "Karnataka's heartthrob Ganesh secretly marries". Swetha Balasubramania. CNN-IBN. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/karnatakas-heartthrob-ganesh-secretly-marries/58780-8.html. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 

External links

• Mungaru Male at the Internet Movie Database