Happy showers
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Mungaru Maley is set to be the biggest box-office grosser in the history of Kannada cinema
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NO ANSWERS The success of Mungaru Maley has left Yograj Bhat bewildered
Yograj Bhat's cell phone is mostly off these days. Producers are hounding him because they want to cash in on the initial draw his next film is bound to get. "My life has gone haywire," says the usually composed director. "Mungaru Maley" is fast marching towards the 100-day mark and will in all probabilities be the biggest box-office grosser ever in the history of Kannada cinema. "They say it'll run for more than one year in at least five centres," says the director. "The surprising thing is that it's doing well in the so-called B and C centres." At an interactive show for a TV channel during the interval at PVR, Yograj was stunned that most people in the audience were non-Kannadigas. "It really proves that cinema is a purely visual medium. It has also created curiosity in other states about Kannada cinema. That's happening after a long time." With producers bidding for his next project Yograj is itching to start his next film. "People ask me what I think is the reason for the film's success. I can manufacture a few but I'm clueless. It's just struck an invisible chord," says the director who still has his head firmly on his shoulders. The lucky producer of his next project will probably be Rockline Venkatesh. "It'll be a breezy episodic tale," promises Yograj.
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Bangalore audiences have been deprived of a gem of a Tamil movie, "Mozhi" thanks to the Cauvery problem and the resultant strife. The film was released but without any publicity because theatre owners were scared. "Mozhi" produced by the adventurous Prakash Raj also happens to be his first commercial success as producer. It's a warm tale of a keyboard player's love for a deaf and mute girl. It could have easily degenerated into a hysterical tear-jerker but what we get is a poignantly told tale of friendship, courage and a single minded will to win, emotionally. You laugh but you also have a lump in your throat. Brilliant performances by the handsome Pritviraj and Jyotika. The surprise packet is Prakash Raj who shrugs off his irritating idiosyncrasies and comes up trumps. More power to this adventurous actor-producer.
S. Shiva Kumar
sshivu@yahoo.com
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