Topiwala

Topiwala
Theatrical Poster
Directed by	MG Srinivas
Produced by	Kanakapura Sreenivas K. P. Srikanth
Written by	Upendra
Starring	Upendra Bhavana Raju Talikote
Music by	V. Harikrishna
Cinematography	Shreesha Kuduvalli
Editing by	Carzymindz Sri
Release dates	15 March 2013 (2013-03-15)
Country	India
Language	Kannada
Budget	65 million (US$1.0 million)
Box office	72 million (US$1.2 million)[1] + 25 million (US$400,000){Satellite Rights}

Topiwala is a 2013 Kannada Political Satire film starring Upendra and Bhavana in the lead roles. The film is written by Upendra and directed by debutant MG Srinivas who had won international recognition through his short film Simply KailAwesome. Kanakapura Sreenivas and K.P. Srikanth jointly produce this venture under R.S. Productions banner. V. Harikrishna is the music composer of the film.^[2]

The film released on 15 March 2013 in over 150 theaters all over Karnataka^[3] and opened to positive response at the box office by grossing 35 million (US$560,000) in its opening weekend^[4] and more than 50 million (US$800,000) in its first week.^[5]

Cast

• Upendra as Basak
• Bhavana as Suman Bedi
• Rangayana Raghu as Ramanayana Raghu
• Maithreya as Malashri
• P. Ravi Shankar as Sarkar
• Vijanath Biradar as Mr India
• Raju Talikote
• Achyut Kumar as Lokayuktha Loki
• Mukti Mohan (Special appearance)

Production

Casting

Topiwala went on floors in January 2012. The script and screenplay of the film were written by Upendra and Radio Jockey MG Srinivas who had won national recognition through his short film Simply KailAwesome was selected to direct the film. Actress Bhavana of Jackie fame was cast opposite Upendra and the film has been produced by Kanakapura Sreenivas who had earlier produced Upendra's Omkara in 2004. The film also stars debutant actress Maithreyi, Rangayana Raghu and Raju Talikote in supporting roles while Ravishankar plays the negative role. Vijanath Biradar plays a very crucial role in the film, which was kept as a secret until the film's release.^[6][7] Mukti Mohan, participant of Star One's dance reality show Zara Nachke Dikha, was roped in for an item song.^[8]

Promotions

The first press meet of the film was held in December 2012. Addressing the press meet which was attended by the cast and crew of the film, Producer Kanakapura Srinivas said that a younger team has worked for the film which has ensured fresh thoughts in presentation. Kanakapura Sreenivas remembered that Omkara, their first film with Upendra was a big hit and had created a bench mark by earning more than a crore from BKT area alone in the first week itself back in 2004. "Now, we have Topiwala with a young team which is sure to create new bench marks", said Sreenivas. Upendra addressed the press meet that the film is a political satire based on current affairs and corruption. "The film is based on incidents that happen in contemporary times. Political incidents are part of the script. It is a humorous commentary on every distortion that we see in our society", said Upendra.^[9]

The official teaser trailer of the film was released on 23'rd February 2013. Topiwala has already created a big buzz in Sandalwood because of the different promotional activities taken by the team. Crew members including Upendra are constantly featuring in many TV programs on the movie. The film's satellite rights has already been sold for a good price to Asianet Suvarna channel.^[10]

Reception

Box office

Topiwala had a fantastic opening at the box office across Karnataka. Released on 15 March 2013 in over 150 theaters all over Karnataka, Topiwala opened to strong box office collections on its release day with 90 to 100% occupancy at single screens and around 90% occupancy at multiplexes. The film grossed a strong 35 million (US$560,000) during its opening weekend^[11] and grossed more than 50 million (US$800,000) in its first week.^[12] Upendra and the entire team of Topiwala celebrated a success meet of the movie at the Udayavani Head Office in Bangalore, by launching a campaign against corruption.^[13] Topiwala did average business at the box office^[14] and grossed around 72 million (US$1.2 million) in five weeks earning a nett share of 48 million (US$770,000) at the box office. The film also did an additional business of 25 million (US$400,000) through satellite and audio rights therefore recovering its cost of production.

Soundtrack

The film's music was been composed by V. Harikrishna. The Audio CDs were released into the market on 13 February 2013. However, an official audio launch was held at Windsor Manor Hotel in Bangalore on 23 February 2013. All three brothers of the Rajkumar family, Shivrajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar attended the audio launch along with cast and crew of the film and other film personalities.^[15]

Reception

The audio album of the film has received positive response and is a huge hit all over Karnataka. Shangrila and Girigitle are topping the Music charts and are constantly aired over all FM channels.^[16]

References

External links

• Topiwala at the Internet Movie Database
• ^ Mukti Mohan item number in Topiwala (An article in Kannada)
• Topiwala at reelbox.tv