O2 | |
---|---|
Directed by |
|
Written by |
|
Produced by | Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Naveen Kumar S |
Edited by | Deepu S. Kumar |
Music by | Vivan Radhakrishna |
Production company | |
Distributed by | KRG Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 109 Minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Kannada |
O2 (stylized as O2) is an Indian Kannada-language medical thriller film written and directed by the duo of Raghav Nayak and Prashanth Raj, and produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar under PRK Productions. The film has music composed by Vivan Radhakrishna and cinematography handled by Naveen Kumar S. [1]
Principal photography commenced in October 2021 in Bengaluru. The film was released on 19 April 2024. [2] It opened to generally positive reviews with praise for its theme of medical research and the production house's intent to bring in fresh talent and ideas.
Dr. Shraddha Nayak, with the help of her colleagues, is working on O2 - a drug that can bring back the dead. Can she achieve a medical miracle?
In late 2020, It was reported that PRK Productions were to produce a film directed by debutants Raghav Nayak and Prashanth Raj, the film was said to be a thriller for which the directors had worked on the script for around 4 years. [3] The film began officially by conducting a Pooja in the presence of late Puneeth Rajkumar on 8 October 2021. [4] [5]
Ashika Ranganath [6] was cast as the leading actor of the film alongside Praveen Tej, Siri Ravikumar, Prakash Belawadi and others. [7] [8]
The film started its initial shoot after the muhurta held on 8 October 2021. However, the shooting was halted after the sudden demise of Puneeth Rajkumar on 29 October 2021. The team resumed shooting in January 2022 and was wrapped around September 2022. [9] [10]
O2 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by Vivan Radhakrishna | ||||
Released | 2024 | |||
Recorded | 2023 | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Length | 6:35 | |||
Language | Kannada | |||
Label | PRK Audio | |||
Producer | Vivan Radhakrishna | |||
Vivan Radhakrishna chronology | ||||
|
Vivan Radhakrishna has composed the sound track and the background music for the film. The film has two songs and one background score.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ninagaage" | Jayanth Kaikini | Sanjith Hegde | 03:44 |
2. | "Nashey Nashey" | Vivan Radhakrishna | Vishwanath Acharya, Vivan Radhakrishna, Aditya Naik , Raghav Nayak | 02:51 |
Total length: | 06:35 |
The release date of the film was announced along with the teaser of the film. The film was released across Karnataka on 19 April 2024. [11] [12] [13]
The film opened to generally positive reviews for its story, direction and the actors' performances, however the film's predictability and a few jarring sequences were criticized.
Sridevi S of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote "Despite shortcomings, O2 definitely comes with enough oxygen to keep the audience alive, and the film can be enjoyed in theatres with family." [14] Vivek MV of The Hindu also opined similar and wrote "This medical drama gets the job done despite its flaws. A brilliant Ashika Ranganath anchors 'O2', a medical thriller that almost nails its futuristic idea with its simple yet efficient story. [15] A Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and in her review wrote "While O2 stands as a good attempt by the directorial duo to explore a unique blend of a medical thriller and romance with heartfelt storytelling, the straightforward narrative may make some aspects predictable." [16] Shashiprasad SM of Times Now rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "Barring the excessive usage of English and some dull moments, the film mainly deserves appreciation for its experimental attempt to deliver fresh content to the Kannada silver screen." [17] Pranati AS of Deccan Herald described the film as an "Interesting plot on medical research" but criticized the misogyny in the film's characters. [18]
Vinayak AS of Prajavani in his review appreciated the story, performance of the actors and the background score while criticism directed towards predictability and the songs which were not memorable. [19] Avinash Ram of VijayKarnataka described the film as "A medical thriller that unfolds a surprise in the medical world" and appreciated the writers for weaving various layers in the film smoothly. He also compared the film to the 1997 film "Manava 2022" and said though the idea looks similar, O2 is said in a scientific way. [20]
Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu by his fans, after his first lead role in the movie Appu, was an Indian actor, philanthropist, playback singer, television presenter and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He appeared as a lead in 32 films. As a child, he appeared in many films. His performances as a child actor in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth's first lead role was in 2002's Appu. In a career spanning three decades, he has won one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five SIIMA awards. He was conferred with the Doctorate by Mysuru University. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, to Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November 2022, posthumously.
Power is a 2014 Indian Kannada-language action comedy film directed by K. Madesh and features Puneeth Rajkumar and Trisha in lead roles, alongside Prabhu, Kelly Dorjee, Rangayana Raghu and Sadhu Kokila in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 2011 Telugu film Dookudu which itself was inspired by the 2003 German tragicomedy film Good Bye, Lenin!. It marked music director, S. Thaman's official musical entry to the Sandalwood Industry and Trisha's debut in Kannada cinema.
Sunil Kumar known by his screen name SimpleSuni, is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and lyricist who works in Kannada cinema. He made his debut with the critically and commercially successful 2013 film Simple Agi Ondh Love Story.
Kalenahalli Adaviswamy Dhananjaya, also known as Daali, is an Indian actor, lyricist and film producer known for his work in Kannada cinema. He has won three Filmfare Awards and four SIIMA Awards for his performances in various films.
Ashika Ranganath is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada films. She made her acting debut with the Kannada film Crazy Boy (2016). Ashika received SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Kannada nomination for Raambo 2, Raymo and Madhagaja, winning for the lattermost.
Anjani Putra is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language action film directed by A. Harsha and produced by M. N. Kumar. The film features Puneeth Rajkumar and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles while Ramya Krishna, Mukesh Tiwari, P. Ravi Shankar and Chikkanna play supporting roles. Ravi Basrur composed the soundtrack and background score for the film, while cinematography and editing were handled by Swamy J. and Deepu S. Kumar respectively. The film was a remake of director Hari's Tamil film Poojai (2014).
Raj B. Shetty is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works predominantly in Kannada films and a few Malayalam films. He gained recognition through his directorial debut, Ondu Motteya Kathe (2017), which was a huge commercial success. He further cemented it with Gubbi Mele Brahmastra (2019), Mayabazar 2016 (2020), and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021), which got widespread acclaim and is now considered to be one of the best films of Kannada cinema.
Sudeepana Banakar Prabhudeva, popularly known by her stage name Aditi Prabhudeva, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada cinema.
Hitha Chandrashekhar is an Indian actress who works in Kannada films. She made her debut with 2017 Kannada Film 1/4 Kg Preethi.
Mayabazar 2016 is a 2020 Indian Kannada-language crime comedy film written and directed by debutant Radhakrishna Reddy, and produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar of PRK Productions, M Govinda. The film stars Raj B. Shetty, Vasishta Simha, Achyuth Kumar, Prakash Raj and Chaithra Rao. The movie is about events surrounding the 2016 Indian banknote demonetization and revolves around an honest police officer, a small-time conman, a jobless youth and a corrupt cop who end up crossing each other's paths when they are in quest of money.
James is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Chethan Kumar and produced by Kishore Pathikonda under Kishore Productions. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar in the titlular role, along with an ensemble cast of R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Priya Anand, Anu Prabhakar, Madhusudhan Rao, Mukesh Rishi, Adithya Menon, Avinash, Sadhu Kokila, Chikkanna and John Kokken. The film marks Puneeth Rajkumar's posthumous appearance following his death on 29 October 2021 and also marked the second collaboration between Puneeth Rajkumar, Priya Anand and Sarathkumar after Raajakumara (2017). The score and soundtrack were composed by V. Harikrishna and Charan Raj, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Swamy. J. Gowda and Deepu. S. Kumar.
PRK Productions is an Indian film production company founded by Puneeth Rajkumar and managed by his wife, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar.
KRG Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company based in Bengaluru, India. It primarily deals with the production and distribution of Kannada-language and non-Kannada films across Karnataka.
Praveen Tej is an Indian film and television actor, known for his works in Kannada. Praveen made his feature film debut in Kannada film industry with Jolly Days (2009). He is known for his performance in Simpallag Innondh Love Story (2016) and Mundina Nildana (2019).
Family Pack is a 2022 Indian Kannada language comedy film directed by Arjun Kumar S., who previously directed Sankashta Kara Ganapathi. The film stars Likith Shetty, Amrutha Iyengar, Rangayana Raghu, and Achyuth Kumar. The film follows two families and a human-like ghost played by Rangayana Raghu. The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video.
Man of the Match is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language satire black comedy written and directed by D. Satya Prakash. Movie produced under PRK Productions banner. The film stars Nataraj S. Bhat, Dharmanna Kadooru, Atharva Prakash, Mayuri Nataraj, Shridatta, Brunda vikram. Satya Prakash uses a film-within-a-film narrative where the main actors play fictionalised versions of themselves. Frustrated over the fact that his acting career not taking off, Nataraj decides to produce a film with his actor friend Dharmanna. The day of auditions in a huge studio provides more drama and surprises than expected, as Nataraj has something different on his mind.
Yuva Rajkumar is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer in the Kannada film industry.
Kotee is a 2024 Indian Kannada-language drama thriller film directed by debutant Parameshwar Gundkal and produced by Jyoti Deshpande under Jio Studios. The film stars Dhananjaya in titular role, alongside Moksha Kushal, Ramesh Indira, Rangayana Raghu and Tara in supporting roles. It marks the debut of Jio Studios in Kannada cinema. The soundtrack was composed by Vasuki Vaibhav and musical score by Nobin Paul, while cinematography and editing were handled by Arun Bhrama and Pratheek Shetty.