Mungaru Male

Mungaru Male
Movie poster
Directed by	Yogaraj Bhat
Produced by	E. Krishna
Starring	Ganesh Pooja Gandhi Anant Nag Padmaja Rao Sudha Belavadi
Music by	Mano Murthy
Cinematography	S. Krishna
Editing by	Deepu S. Kumar
Release dates	29 December 2006 (2006-12-29)
Running time	138 minutes
Country	India
Language	Kannada
Budget	90 Lakhs
Box office	72 Crores

Mungaru Male (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, Anant Nag, Padmaja Rao in lead roles. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened the careers of Pooja Gandhi, Ganesh, director Yogaraj Bhat, Singers Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ghanjawala, Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal in south India and writer Dr.Jayanth Kaikini, choreographers A.Harsha, Imran Sardaria, composer Mano Murthy and others.^[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] It was remade in Tamil as Gnabagangal Thalattum in the year 2013.

Background and development

Director Yograj Bhat had earlier dabbled in advertising and corporate films. His previous ventures, Mani, starring Mayur and Radhika, and Ranga S.S.L.C., starring Sudeep Sanjeev. Bhat 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 involved in the script making stage. He 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)
• Jai Jagadish (Kannada actor)
• A Rabbit as Devdas

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.

Soundtrack

Mungaru Male
Soundtrack album by Mano Murthy
Released	2006 (2006)
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Label	Anand 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 who rose to fame after this film. The lyrics were penned by Dr.Jayanth Kaikini, Yograj Bhat, Kaviraj and Hrudaya Shiva. "Anisutide Yako Indu", written by Jayanth and Mungaru Maleye written by Yograj Bhat, both sung by singer Sonu Nigam. Mano Murthy resides in California, USA, whereas Jayanth Kaikini and Yograj Bhat reside in Bangalore. While the crew was busy shooting in Byakrolli, near Sakaleshapur, Kaikini was touring North Karnataka.

• Lyrics: Kaviraj (Song 1), Yograj Bhat (Song 2), Jayanth Kaikini (Songs 3,4,7), Hrudaya Shiva (Songs 5,6)
• Music: Melody King Mano Murthy

Box office

It helped in expansion of Kannada film market, which is first of its kind. Made in budget of just 90 lakhs, the film went on to earn over Rs. 72 crores. Bhat's next movie, Gaalipata, was overshadowed by Mungaru Male. Mungaru Male completed 100 days in all 12 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. ^[12]

Home media

The movie was released on DVD with 5.1 channel surround sound and English subtitles. This was the first kannada movie to be released with that clarity.

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.^{[citation needed]} Nowrunning.com felt that the film lacked a credible story line and gave too much importance to music and song picturisation.^{[citation needed]} Kannada portal Thatskannada.com praised the film for its content, narration and usage of rain as a metaphor for love.^{[citation needed]} Indicine.com^[8] gave it four stars.

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. It was remade & released in Tamil as Gnabagangal Thalattum in the year 2013. The Telugu-language version was released in 2008 as Vaana, meaning rain.^[3] It was remade in Bengali language as Premer Kahini. Boney Kapoor is planning to remake the film in Hindi starring either Imran Khan or Ranbir Kapoor.^[5]

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.^[13]

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.^[14]

See also

• Vaana
• Premer Kahini

Notes

References

• "Karnataka's heartthrob Ganesh secretly marries". Swetha Balasubramania. CNN-IBN. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 

External links

• Mungaru Male at the Internet Movie Database