2008 Indian film
| Gaja | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DVD cover | |
| Directed by | K. Madesh |
| Written by | K. V. Raju (Dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | K. Madesh |
| Based on | Bhadra (Telugu)(2005) |
| Produced by | S Srinivasa Murthy Suresh Gowda |
| Starring | Darshan |
| Cinematography | Ramesh Babu |
| Edited by | T. Shashi kumar Deepu. S. Kumar |
| Music by | V. Harikrishna |
| Production company | Sri SeethaByraveshwara productions |
| Distributed by | Jayanna Films |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 2 hours 32 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada |
| Budget | ₹ 3.5 crores |
| Box office | ₹ 7.5 crores |
Gaja is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language action romance film directed by K. Madesh. It stars Darshan in the titular lead role. The producers of the film claimed it is based on a story by novelist P. Ramachandra Rao (Chandu). It is a remake of the 2005 Telugu film Bhadra.
Plot
Gaja (Darshan) and Krishna are close friends. Gaja visits Krishna's village for a holiday but encounters some startling events. He discovers that Krishna's brother, Devendra, is embroiled in a feud with a rival faction, which has strained the relationship between the two families. Despite this, Gaja becomes a favorite of Devendra's family and also develops a liking for Shwetha (Navya Nair), Devendra's sister.
In a faction fight, Devendra and his wife are killed. Gaja tries to defuse the situation, but when he realizes that Devendra's entire family is being targeted, he decides to escape with Krishna and Shwetha. However, the rival faction leader's brother kills Krishna. In retaliation, Gaja kills him and flees to Bangalore with Shwetha. A cat-and-mouse game ensues as Gaja is pursued by the faction leaders. Ultimately, Gaja emerges victorious.
Cast
- Darshan as Gajendra "Gaja" Moorthi
- Navya Nair as Shwetha
- Devaraj as Devendra, Shwetha's eldest brother
- Sourav as Krishna, Shwetha's brother
- Pradeep Rawat as Soorappa
- Shobaraj as Shivanna, Devendra's brother
- Bhavya
- Ashalatha
- Deepa Iyer
- Sangeetha
- Nischitha Gowda as Gaja's cousin
- Thejaswini
- Ravi Chetan
- Komal as Gaja's friend
- Ekta Khosla as Satya
- Chitra Shenoy
- Master Hirannaiah as Gaja's grandfather
- Srinath as Gaja's father
- Subbaraju
- Sathyajith
- Ravi Varma
- Chinnayya
- Tharakesh Patel
- Aruna Balaraj
- Jaidev
- Bhanu Prakash
- Rakhi Savanth
- Bhavya Bhuvanahalli Chandre Gowda as Suma
- Stunt Siddu
- Lamboo Nagesh
- Hulivana Gangadharayya
- Malathi Sardeshpande
- Shobha Raghavendra
Production
As of October 2007, the shooting for the film was completed.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by V. Harikrishna. All the lyrics were written by V. Nagendra Prasad.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aitalakadi" | Shankar Mahadevan, Shamitha Malnad | 4:56 |
| 2. | "Bangari Yare Nee" | Jassie Gift, Chaitra H. G. | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Du Du Duniya" | Tippu | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Lambuji" | Shaan, K. S. Chitra | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Mathu Nannolu" | Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal | 5:12 |
| 6. | "O Manase" | Kunal Ganjawala | 4:37 |
| 7. | "Srikarane" | K. S. Chitra | 2:02 |
| Total length: | 29:59 | ||
Release
Gaja was released on 11 January 2008. It was certified 'A' by the censor board. The film completed over 100 days at the box office and became an all-time hit in the Kannada film industry, marking a comeback for Darshan after a series of flops. The songs "Bul Bul" ("Bangari Yare Nee") and the Gaja title track became chartbusters.
Critical reception
Sify rated the film 4/5, praising the acting, music, and cinematography. R G Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, stating, "Gaja's main strength is the music of Harikrishna and rich production values. Cameraman Ramesh Babu has to be complimented for his efforts. The only thumbs down to Gaja is the director and producer's claim that their film is an original."
References
- ^ "2008- Top 5 films at the box-office". Sify. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Gaja". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- "Gaja comes to an end". The Times of India. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- "'Gaja is the biggest hit of my career'". Rediff. 17 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Gaja Movie Review". chitraloka.com. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- "Gaja is a good entertainer". Rediff.com. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2008.