Aa Dinagalu

Aa Dinagalu (English: Those Days) is a 2007 Indian Kannada language crime drama film based on the non-fiction novel Daadaagiriya Dinagalu by Agni Shridhar, and directed by K. M. Chaitanya. It stars Chethan Kumar in the lead role. The supporting cast features Sharath Lohitashwa, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Atul Kulkarni and Veda Sastry. The plot revolves around mafia in Bangalore during the 1980s when gangsters Kotwal Ramachandra and M. P. Jayaraj dominated the Bangalore underworld. The film's soundtrack and background music was scored by Ilayaraja.

jayraj



Aa Dinagalu
Promotional poster
Directed byK. M. Chaitanya
Produced bySyed Aman Bachchan
M. S. Ravindra
Written byAgni Shridhar
Screenplay byGirish Karnad
Based onDaadaagiriya Dinagalu
by Agni Shridhar
Starring
Music byIlayaraja
CinematographyH. C. Venugopal
Edited byNagendra Urs
Production
company
Megha Movies
Release date
  • 19 October 2007 (2007-10-19)
Running time
137 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada

Upon theatrical release on 19 October 2007, the film received positive reviews from critics who acclaimed the screenplay and the acting performance of Sharath Lohitashwa who portrayed the role of Kotwal Ramachandra. The film won three awards each at the 2007–08 Karnataka State Film Awards and 55th Filmfare Awards South; the awards at the latter ceremony being Best Film, Best Director (K. M. Chaitanya) and Best Supporting Actor (Sharath Lohitashwa).

Plot

Aa Dinagalu is a story about the Bangalore underworld of the 1980s. In the film, Agni Shridhar narrates the preview as story of Kotwal Ramachandra era (1975) coincidentally with declaration of emergency by Indira Gandhi, which led to grooming of M. P. Jayaraj as the uncrowned don of Bangalore mostly working with Knives, Sickles, Machetes for terrorising people. Eventually he seems to have got jailed for contempt of court for 10 years. When he returns in 1985, after the death of Indira Gandhi he finds Kotwal Ramachandra to have taken his spot. In this backdrop how a love story finds its place has been shown in the movie.

Chetan (Chetan) and Mallika (Archana) are in deep love. Chetan is a business magnate, a Konkani Brahmin with a vast empire of his father while Mallika is a dance teacher hailing from Vokkaliga community. The love affair of these two is not tolerated by Chetan's father. He hires the underworld don Kotwal Ramachandra (Sharat Lohitashva) to handle the case. This is what irks Chetan and he is perturbed mentally. For coming as a hardship Chetan wants to take revenge on Kotwal. That is not an easy task. Chetan goes to the opponent gang of Kotwal - Jayaraj to seek support in his mission. But just before this the incident that takes place at Kanishka Hotel brings in bad name for Chetan. He is suspected by the police. After release Chetan further strengthen his plan with Sridhar and Bachchan. They all seek Sreeraj the trusted friend of Kotwal friend to near to Kotwal. Believing that Kotwal will be safe Sriraj sends this trio Chetan, Sridhar, Bachchan to Tumkur. This is where Kotwal is killed when his right hand Shetty also ditch him.

Cast

Story

The Story is based upon book Dadagiriya Dinagalu (The days of DadaGiri or Rowdyism) by Agni Sridhar, who was once a criminal identified himself with Bangalore underworld in 1980s.

Soundtrack

Aa Dinagalu
Soundtrack album by
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LabelAnand Audio

Ilayaraja composed the film's background score and music for its soundtrack. The album consists of three tracks.[1] Lyrics for them were penned by K. Kalyan and D. Sumana Kittur.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Sihi Gaali"K. KalyanIlaiyaraaja, Nanditha 
2."Aa Dinagalu"D. Sumana KitturVijay Yesudas 
3."Aa Dinagalu"D. Sumana KitturVijay Yesudas, Nanditha 

Critical reception

Lido Theatre, Mysore on the day of release

Upon theatrical release, Aa Dinagalu received generally positive reviews from critics. R. G. Vijayasarathy of Rediff reviewed the film rating it 3.5/5 and wrote, "Chaitanya has used a straightforward, simple narration resulting in a profound impact. The background score by Ilayaraja is one of the best heard in the recent times in Kannada films. Cameraman H. C. Venugopal has done a terrific job behind the camera. Sharath Lohithashwa is wonderful as Kothwal Ramachandra, while Atul Kulkarni, Ashish Vidyarthi, Girish Karnad, and the new face Chethan have all given wonderful performances in their respective roles" and concluded writing "Commendable direction, excellent star cast, high class technical crew and a fantastic script..."[2] The Times of India in its review rated the film 3/5 and called the film a "brilliant portrayal of underworld don Kotwal Ramachandra." The reviewer concluded writing, "Sharath Lohithshwa, Ashish Vidyarthi and Atul Kulkarni are brilliant. While Girish Karnad gives a consummate performance, Archana shines and Dharma excels. H C Venu's camerawork is excellent. Ilayaraja's music is pleasing."[3] The reviewer for Deccan Herald felt the film was "a damp squib". He felt, "the subject [was dealt] in a straight, staccato fashion that renders Aa Dinagalu more like docu-feature than a film that sparkles with auteur’s classic feel of the medium."[4]

Awards

Award / Film Festival Category Recipient Result Ref.
Karnataka State Film Awards
Best Cinematographer
H. C. Venugopal
Won
Best Dialogue
Agni Shridhar
Best Dubbing Artist (Male)
Sudarshan
Filmfare Awards South
Best Film – Kannada
Syed Aman Bachchan, M. S. Ravindra
Won [5]
Best Director – Kannada
K. M. Chaitanya
Best Supporting Actor – Kannada
Sharath Lohitashwa
Kanfida Film Awards
Best Debutant Director
K. M. Chaitanya
Won [6]
Best Dialogues
Agni Shridhar
Udaya Film Awards
Best Actor
Chetan Kumar
Won [7]
Best Supporting Actor
Sharath Lohitashwa
Best Dialogues
Agni Shridhar
Kasturi Film Awards
Best Supporting Actor
Sharath Lohitashwa
Won [7]
Suvarna Film Awards
Best Story
Agni Shridhar
Won
Mysore Minerals Film Awards
Best Supporting actor
Sharath Lohitashwa
Won [7]
South Indian Cinematographers' Association (SICA) Awards
Best Debutant Director
K. M. Chaitanya
Won [8]
Chennai Film Fans Association Awards
Best Debutant Director
K. M. Chaitanya
Won [7][8]
Best Actor
Sharath Lohitashwa

DVD

The DVD of the movie has been released on Anand Audio. This is the first time a Kannada movie with 5.1 surround sound is releasing on a DVD.[9]

Box-Office

The film has been completed 100-days in Bangalore region.[10]

See also

  • List of crime films
  • India Mafia

References

  1. "Aa Dinagalu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  2. Vijayasarathy R. G. (22 October 2007). "Aa Dinagalu is worth a watch". Rediff. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. "Aa Dinagalu review". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  4. "This Dinagalu is a damp squib". Deccan Herald. 22 October 2007. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  5. "2008 Filmfare Awards South". Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. "Kanfida film awards for 2007 announced". The Hindu. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. "Sharath Lohitashwa achieves a rare feat". filmnews.wordpress.com. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  8. "Rolling Frames Short Film Summit 2014" (PDF). rollingframes.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  9. "Aa Dinagalu DVD". Gandhadagudi. 20 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  10. "Gaja is biggest draw at Kannada box office". bangalore365.com. 24 January 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
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