…Re (English: If) is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language comedy film written and directed by Sunil Kumar Desai.[1] The film has an ensemble cast consisting of veteran actors: Ramesh Aravind, Anant Nag, Master Hirannaiah, Loknath, Shivaram, Tennis Krishna, Ramesh Bhat, Vaijanath Biradar, Sharath Lohithaswa, Suman, G. K. Govinda Rao among others.[citation needed] Harshika Poonacha and debutant actress Suman play female leads in the film.[citation needed] Ananth Nag had revealed that the movie is thematically similar to Badal Sircar’s play Ballabpurer Roopkatha.[2]
Cast
- Ramesh Aravind as Papanna “Papu” Rao
- Anant Nag as Narayan Rao
- Harshika Poonacha as Parvathi
- Suman as Preethi Bhat
- Ramesh Bhat as Achyuth Rao
- Master Hirannaiah as Vasudev Achar
- Loknath as Dewan Bhima Rao
- G. K. Govinda Rao as Samskrutha’s father
- Srinivas Prabhu as Narayan Rao’s great-grandfather
- Shivaram as Govinda Rao Sharmana “Samskrutha”
- Chi. Guru Dutt as Dr. Kuju
- Sharath Lohithaswa as Gangaraja / Shobharaj
- Vaijanath Biradar
- Divya Shetty Shridhar as Shreya
- Mahesh Nethrekar
- P. D. Sathish Chandra as ghost
- Prashanth
- Tennis Krishna as auto rickshaw driver
- Mandeep Roy as physicist
- Chidanand
- Suman Nagarkar in a cameo in song “Savi Nenapina”
- Sunil Kumar Desai as doctor (cameo)
Production
Pre-production of the film started in 2013 with the title Thandana Thandanaana.[3] It was revealed that Lokesh R. under Sujana Creations would produce the film and that it would be mostly shot in and around Bengaluru.
Ace cinematographer G. S. Bhaskar who previously worked for Hollywood technicians such as Richard Attenborough handled the camera.[4] Veteran music director Hamsalekha was signed to score music for the film. Anant Nag stated that the film was thematically similar to Badal Sircar‘s play Ballabpurer Roopkatha.[2]
In an interview with The New Indian Express, the film’s director Sunil Kumar Desai said that the film revolves around the “‘ifs’ of our lives”.[5] Lead actor of the film Ramesh Aravind described the film as “an out of the box love story, which has deep meaning with weird characterisations”.[1] Nag also felt that the film had “serious messages” about Indian cultural heritage and Adi Shankara‘s Advaita philosophy.[2]
The film was touted as a comeback film for veterans of Kannada cinema such as director Desai, composer Hamsalekha and senior artists Loknath and Shivaram.[6] In an interview with the Times of India, Ramesh Aravind said that …Re may seem like a film from the 70s or 80s and that the “old world charm” of the film was intentional.[7] The film makes a sweeping criticism at the state of open defecation in India.[8]
Soundtrack
| No. | Song title | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Nanondu Bilihaale” | Badri Prasad, Hiranmayee | Hamsalekha |
| 2 | “Savi Nenapina” | Badri Prasad | Hamsalekha |
Reception
A reviewer of Kannada Prabha wrote”Sunil Kumar Desai, who weaves a story that takes place almost between the four walls, goes to build a hall of speech, is not a good drama and does not show excellence technically, Sunil Kumar Desai is disappointing”.[9] Sunayana Suresh from The Times of India says “While the soundtrack from Hamsalekha could have been a tad more contemporary, that can be forgiven given the old-world charm to the entire tale. Watch this for a dose of laughter, with some intelligent witticisms as the bonus”.[10] Shyam Prasad S from Bangalore Mirror says “Ramesh Aravind delivers another good performance and seems to be growing younger. It can be safely said that Harshika Poonacha is one of the best actresses in Sandalwood”.[11]
References
- ^ a b “Loving it with Re”. The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Dhwani Desai (28 February 2016). “Lucky to play challenging roles: Ananth Nag”. The Times of India.
- ^ “I got offers, but from the wrong kind of people”. The Times of India.
- ^ Muralidhara Khajane (25 August 2014). “Attenborough as seen through Bhaskar’s eyes”. The Hindu.
- ^ “‘Re’ Revolves Around the ‘ifs’ of our Lives: Desai”. The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ “ದೇಸಾಯಿ ರಿಟರ್ನ್ಸ್ ನಾನು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದನ್ನೇ ಮಾಡ್ತೀನಿ”. udayavani.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ Prathibha Joy (2 March 2016). “Ananth Nag, my chemistry shows onscreen”. The Times of India.
- ^ “Open Defecation in India”.
- ^ “ಪ್ರೇ’ತಾತ’ಮಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಮಾತಿನ ಮಂಟಪದ ಆಸ’..ರೆ’“. Kannada Prabha (in Kannada). 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ “…Re? Movie Review”. The Times of India. 14 May 2016. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ “Movie Review ..Re”. Bangalore Mirror. 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2023.