Manohara "Manu" (Diganth) is an orphaned, unemployed young man, who is often looked down on upon by his family. However, his uncle (Achyuth Kumar) is the only exception. His friend Satish (Sathish Ninasam) is a neighbour and cable operator, whose love for one of their neighhour - Bhamini, is unrequited. Bhamini marries a software engineer, and at the wedding reception, tells Manu that she loves him, but couldn't live with him (given his status). She also asks him to do something with his life, and not throw it away by spending his time criticizing the people around him. Meanwhile, Satish takes note of the "gulf" between Bhamini's new husband and himself, and decides to prove himself that he is indeed more worthy than she thinks of him. To that end, Manohar and Satish get together and invent a "electricity producing machine" which harnesses its power from vehicles that drive on roads (the fact that this isn't free energy, and that it would cost motorists who drive over it some extra fuel is not mentioned in the movie). His demonstration goes off well, but a police car chasing a criminal on a motorbike suddenly drives onto the machine, which causes the car to flip over, and in fact nearly kills the constables inside.
Manu and Satish are arrested and reprimanded for their foolishness, but they are soon released. Manu's aunt decides to marry him into a wealthy family, to get rid of him and an attempt to temper his behaviour. While they are visiting the intended's family, a baby next to Manu begins urinating. Manu takes a nearby tea-cup to catch the urine and prevent getting wet. Everyone sees this and his prior behavior as confirmation that he is mentally unstable. Manohar and Satish, both drunk, stop at an isolated hill top and tell one another their opinions about life; they get into a row. Satish drives off leaving behind Manohar.
Manohar walks back home and sees a van coming from a distance. The van is transporting about a dozen patients bound for an asylum. The inmates cause a commotion in the van, the guards loose order of the inmates' paperwork and photographs but the inmates are subdued by the guards. The van stops so that the guards can relieve themselves, and the patient Mahendra escapes. Manu was near the van when the guards went after the escapee. The guards notice him and take him as the escapee. Manohar is forcibly taken to the Kaamanabillu asylum.
At the asylum, Manohar demonstratively attempts to explain the mix-up but he is not believed. Soon, his family find out and go to remove him from the asylum. An altercation between Manohar and another inmate cause the family to rethink their decision to take him away because they believe he insane. So, they decide to leave him there. Manu's life is thrown out of gear, as he realizes that he has no choice but to live the life of a lunatic, although he is not. He settles down and starts bonding with the patients: Dollar (played by Pawan Kumar (of Lucia (2013 film) fame), who is a brilliant engineer, but considered a lunatic when one of his inventions, - a baby ass washing machine - injures a baby. He also bonds with Raju Thalikote, who is a self declared veteran of the asylum. Manu soon discloses his story to Shankrappa, who advises him to talk to Dollar, who in turn has always had an uncanny knack to escape from the asylum.
Soon, Manu manages to slip out, but during his escape, which takes him through the female wing of the asylum, he catches a glimpse of Devika (played by Aindrita Ray) and is smitten by her. Although he escapes, he changes his mind and returns to the asylum to pursue a relationship with her. As they are not allowed to mingle by the asylum staff, the inmates (under Shankrappa's leadership) hatch and execute a plan to allow Manu to meet Devika. Shankrappa is well aware of the doctors' tendency to perform the exact opposite to what he request them to do - since they perceive him to be insane - and he uses this to get them all sent for electro-shock therapy (since the EST room is within the women's wing). Dollar has manufactured a non-conducting gel which they then switch with the EST gel, so that they're not really affected by the shock. They fake syncope, and when the staff leave for a prayer assembly, they sneak out to meet Devika. It turns out that Devika is sleeping (having been given an illegal pill, by a doctor who, unbeknownst to everyone engages in (implied) sexual abuse of female inmates, using the pill). Nonetheless, Manu - with Shankrappa's assistance, carries Devika to an ambulance, and drives it out of the asylum.
Devika is a dental student who is in the asylum as she has cultivated intense misandry, after a lecturer misbehaved with her. This manifests itself as aggressive behaviour from time to time, where she stabs any man she deems dangerous. When she awakens the morning after being spirited away by Manu, she attacks him. However, Manu manages to subdue her and professes his love to her. Devika and Manu decide to return to the asylum. On the way, at Devika's insistence, they take a temporary detour to her childhood home, where Devika has a flashback - of her uncaring father (who drove her mother to suicide). They then proceed to the asylum, but stop for the night. Manu spouts a monologue of his love for her, once she sleeps - and this is recorded by a CCTV camera that was activated accidentally by Devika, when they had hit a bump in the road earlier. The next morning, she discovers this, but while waking up Manu, unintentionally scares and nearly kills him when he falls down a railway overbridge. Manu is angry, and is about to leave her to her own devices, when she laughs at his rant, and he is smitten again. As they continue on foot (the van having run out of fuel), even as Manu pleads with her to go back (and not to the hospital). She doesn't respond right up until they go to the hospital, and convinces Manu to re-enter it.
As their relationship reaches serious levels, Devika asks Manu point blank whether he is capable of cheating her, to which the latter replies in the negative. However, once the escaped inmate (Mahendra) is caught, and brought to the asylum by the police (Mahendra is a murderer), the staff realise their mix-up. However, in front of everyone, they accuse Manu of being complicit in the charade, so that he could enjoy a free ride at the hospital. Devika construes this as Manu's betrayal, and of the disingenuousness of his love, and spurns him. A shattered Manu is thrown out of the asylum, bidding a tearful farewell to his fellow inmates with whom he had developed a bond. As he leaves, he encounters Dollar (who had managed to finally escape) returning to the asylum, claiming that there was nothing in the world worth living for outside the asylum.
When he arrives at his uncle's place however, he is once again exposed to the ridicule of people.
The movie ends with Devika encountering him near his house. It is shown that she is cured of her dementia when she remembered Manu, who helped her to let go of her painful past, and move on; when she fought back the abusive doctor, and having watched the tape again, Devika is convinced that his love for her was real. The doctors have also concluded that Manu was responsible for "curing" Devika, and she says that is why she has returned to him; but Manu says that he himself is deemed to be uncured, and insane - being laughed at by society. Devika asks him, rather nonchalantly, as to how could that be his problem, and Manu comes around - with both of them pitying society, and walking away. The final scene closes with a voice-over, of a line that Shankrappa had delivered to Manu when the latter first arrived at the asylum - "Those in this world that come to an asylum, are those who can be cured. The ones who cannot be cured at all, remain outside. There's a chance that you'll be cured of madness, which is something that others outside don't have. Wheover comes here is only temporarily mad, but the ones on the outside are permanently so."
The movie has shades of "One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", the conundrum illustrated in "Catch-22" and also shows the 'institutionalisation' depicted in "The Shawshank Redemption". The main thrust of the movie is to show the hypocrisy of a society which classifies behaviours, and, by extension, people into 'normal' and 'abnormal'.
R G Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com scored the film at 3.5 out of 5 stars and says "Sathya Hegde, the cameraman and Mano Murthy, the music composer. Hegde goes to the deep, inaccessible corners of Madikeri, Karwar and other places to add lot of visual strength to the movie. Hats off to Mano Murthy for his superb music. Manasaare is a must-watch for all Kannada film viewers who are tired of watching a series of remakes and eagerly waiting for original stories".[1] A critic from Deccan Herald wrote "The director takes care that this doesn’t happen but cannot pump up the film’s pace, held down by a couple of songs and scenes. The film has a sudden end and does not touch the viewer. Then again, ‘Manasaare’ may not be everybody's cup of tea".[2] A critic from Bangalore Mirror wrote "The best things in the film are the dialogues, camera work (Sathya Hegde), lyrics by Jayanth Kaikini (even though it is still about rain) and music by Mano Murthy (that still sounds like the rain and showers you have heard before). Bhat’s inspirations come from various old sources, but that is not enough to beef up this film".[3] A critic from The New Indian Express scored the film at 1 out of 2 stars and wrote "The editing and art work add strength to the movie. "Ello Maleyaagidhe Endhu", "Kanna Haniyondhige Kenne Maathaadidhe" and "Naa Naguva Modalene" are superb compositions. The fantastic visuals, melodious music and Yogaraj Bhat's dialogues are the high points of Manasaare".[4]
Box office
The movie was the one of biggest hit of the year 2009.[5]
Mungaru Male is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened the careers of Ganesh; Pooja Gandhi; director Yograj Bhat; lyricist Jayant Kaikini, choreographers A. Harsha and Imran Sardaria; composer Mano Murthy; and made Bollywood playback singers Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjawala and Udit Narayan popular in Karnataka.
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Aindrita Ray is an Indian actress, primarily appearing in Kannada films. She made her acting debut in 2007, starring in Meravanige and went on to appear in several commercially successful films, establishing herself as a leading contemporary actress of Kannada cinema. She is perhaps well known for her critically acclaimed performance as Devika, a mentally challenged girl, in Manasaare.
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Paramathma is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Yogaraj Bhat. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Deepa Sannidhi in the lead roles and was released on 6 October 2011, on the eve of Vijayadashami. Halfway through its production, the film's TV rights was procured for a record ₹3.5 crore. Even before the release, the film grossed a record amount of over ₹25 Cr included broadcasting and distribution rights. Since release, the movie has garnered a cult status for its metaphorical narration and out-of-the box storytelling.
Mr. Duplicate is a 2011 Indian Kannada film in the romance genre starring Diganth and Prajwal Devaraj in the lead roles. Sheetal Injudhan Khan, a newcomer is the main female lead. The film is directed by veteran Kodlu Ramakrishna. Mano Murthy is the music director of the film. Kashyap Dakoju has produced the film under the banner Real Wealth venture productions. The film is a remake of 2001 Tamil hit Minnale starring R. Madhavan, Abbas and Reema Sen.
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Inthi Ninna Preethiya is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language drama film written, directed and produced by Duniya Soori. The film's plot revolves around a family which struggles due to the bad effects of alcohol addiction.
Anna Bond is a 2012 Kannada-language romantic action film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Priyamani, Nidhi Subbaiah, Rangayana Raghu, Avinash, Sathish Ninasam and Jackie Shroff. V. Harikrishna composed the soundtrack and background score for the film.
Parijatha is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by Prabhu Srinivas starring Diganth, Aindrita Ray and Sharan.
Preetham Gubbi is an Indian film screenwriter turned director who works in Kannada film industry. He made his debut as a script writer for the blockbuster Kannada film Mungaru Male in 2006. He debuted as a director with the film Haage Summane in 2009.
Kaddipudi is a 2013 Indian Kannada language crime drama film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by M. Chandru. The screenplay was written by Soori and Rajesh Nataranga and the film stars Shiva Rajkumar as Anand alias Kaddipudi, a rowdy in Bangalore who vows to relinquish his life of crime and lead a normal life. The film also features Radhika Pandit, Rangayana Raghu, Anant Nag, Rajesh Nataranga, Balu Nagendra, Sharath Lohitashwa, Renuka Prasad and Avinash in pivotal roles.
Tony is a 2013 Kannada-language thriller film directed by Jayatheertha. The film stars Srinagar Kitty and Aindrita Ray in lead roles. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Sadhu Kokila, while the cinematography was handled by Gnanamurthy.
Abhinetri – The Tragedy of a Legend is a 2015 Indian Kannada language film directed by Satish Pradhan. It stars Pooja Gandhi in the lead role. The film is based on the life of actress Kalpana. The supporting cast features Makarand Deshpande, Srinagar Kitty, Atul Kulkarni, P. Ravi Shankar and Neethu. After much delay in the post production, the film opened on screens on 30 January 2015.
"Anisuthide" is a song composed by Mano Murthy for the 2006 Indian Kannada romance musical film Mungaru Male. Directed by Yogaraj Bhat, the film stars Ganesh and Pooja Gandhi in the lead roles. Written by Jayant Kaikini, the song was sung by Sonu Nigam. It met with frenzied response from fans upon the release of the album and remains very popular among Kannada listeners.
Chowka is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Tharun Sudhir, making his debut, and produced by Dwarakish, marking his 50th production film. It features an ensemble cast of Vijay Raghavendra, Prem, Diganth, Prajwal Devaraj, Chikkanna, Aindrita Ray, Priyamani, Bhavana and Deepa Sannidhi.
Mugulu Nage (transl. Smile) is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed and co-produced by Yogaraj Bhat, and jointly produced by Ganesh and Syed Salaam. Ganesh also features in the lead role alongside Apoorva Arora, Nikitha Narayan and Ashika Ranganath. The soundtrack and score is by V. Harikrishna, the cinematography is by Sugnan. The first look of the film was released on 14 February 2017 coinciding the Valentine's Day.
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