Taj Mahal (2008 film)

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Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (2008 film).jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by R. Chandru
Written byR. Chandru
Produced byT. Shivashankar Reddy
Starring Ajay Rao
Pooja Gandhi
Rangayana Raghu
Ananth Nag
CinematographyK. S. Chandrashekar
Edited byK. M. Prakash
Music by Abhiman Roy
Production
company
Shiva Shakthi Enterprises
Release date
  • 25 July 2008 (2008-07-25)
Running time
154 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Box office₹10 crore (US$1.2 million) [1]

Taj Mahal is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed and written by R. Chandru, starring Ajay Rao and Pooja Gandhi. [2] Produced by T. Shivashankar Reddy, the film is Chandru's directoral debut. The film was released on 25 July 2008, and had a 200-day run in Karanataka. [3] Music director Abhiman Roy was awarded the Best Music Director accolade at the Karnataka State Film Awards for his film score. Taj Mahal was one of the most successful Kannada-language films of 2008. [4] It was remade in Telugu under the same title Taj Mahal (2010 film) in 2010. [5] [6]

Contents

Plot

A college-going student and aspiring film director is kicked out of his house in a village by his father after he bunks classes and spends most of his time watching movies in theatres. Dejected, he takes a bus ride and starts reading a diary found on the seat next to his.

Ajay Kumar, an honest, poor boy from a village, hands over a lost suitcase to the police. He tells them that his name is Kumar and leaves his cell number. Shruthi, the owner of the suitcase, is elated when she recovers her father's suitcase, and calls Kumar to thank him.

They speak over the phone many times and slowly fall in love. Incidentally they both study in the same engineering college, but Shruthi knows her lover only as Kumar. In college he is known as Ajay. Shruthi is not aware that Ajay and Kumar are the same person and flatly rejects Ajay when he proposes to her. In confusion and deep agony, Ajay decides to finish his engineering and go back to his village. In a series of events Shruthi finds out that Ajay is none other than Kumar, the aspiring film director and goes to his village to meet Ajay aka Kumar but a village guy informs her that Ajay met with an accident and has died at the spot, his mother has died from the shock and his father has become a mentally imbalanced person. Shruthi gets shocked, goes to the gravestone of Ajay with agony, and the film ends in tragedy.

Cast

Production

Director R. Chandru stated that the film would be based on his life as an aspiring film director. He stated, "I had cherished dreams of becoming a director since my childhood. My father, being a farmer, did not like the idea. He used to beat me when I bunked school and watched a movie at touring talkies near my village. I had to run away from home to realise my ambition. I thought it would be nice to tell the future directors that hard work and dedication are musts to realise their ambition. I conveyed this through Taj Mahal." [7] He wrote the story after completing his graduation and was partly financed by a farmer by ₹3 lakh, who wanted a role for himself in the film. [8]

It was reported in November 2007 that Sunil Raoh would play the lead role in the film opposite Pooja Gandhi. Chandru had stated that Rajkiran would play a pivotal role in the film, and that "the film relates to the element of love". He added that filming would take place in Kullu–Manali, Taj Mahal, Bangalore, Mysore and in the periphery of Sakleshpur, and that it would begin on 17 December. [9] However, Raoh backed out, citing personal reasons. Ajay Rao, who had one successful role in the film Excuse Me (2003), replaced him. [10]

Upon the film's release, some viewers called Chandru, accusing him of basing the film on their lives. Chandru dismissed these claims and stated that the film was based on events in a friend's life. [11] Speaking of the film's making in a 2017 interview, Chandru recalled, "The film progressed slowly but steadily. I would work as a director during the day and as a cook at nights. Me and the producers hired a small room, where we slept on mats... Soon, the film was complete and released. But the same day there was a bomb blast in one of the theatres and all theatres were empty. My stomach churned as the producer had put his all in this film. I broke down. But, the next day when the theatres opened, Taj Mahal was running houseful across Karnataka. It had a successful run and created history." [8]

Soundtrack

Taj Mahal
Soundtrack album by
Abhiman Roy
Released2008 (2008)
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length30:09
Label Skanda Audio

The music of the film was composed by Abhiman Roy. The soundtrack album consists of seven tracks. [12] It won Roy the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director for 2008–09. The track "Kushiyagide" was received well. [13]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Hoovantha Preethi" K. Kalyan Hariharan, Supriya Lohith 5:16
2."Kushiyagide Eko Ninnindale" R. Chandru Kunal Ganjawala 4:37
3."Nee Nanna Manasinali" Abhiman Roy Rajesh Krishnan 5:20
4."Neenendu Nannavanu"R. Chandru Shreya Ghoshal 4:55
5."Kolluvudaadare Kondubidu"Manju HonnavarBadri Prasad3:48
6."Preethi Annnodu"Lokesh Krishna Chetan Sosca 1:39
7."Ibbaru Preethina"Manjunath LavaAbhiman Roy4:34
Total length:30:09

Release and reception

Taj Mahal had gained popularity due to its soundtrack album having been received well. The film was slated for release on 18 July 2008, but was postponed to avoid clash with Moggina Manasu , and released a week later, on 25 July. It was released simultaneously in Karnataka and in the UK, the first for a Kannada film. [14]

Critical response

Rediff.com awarded the film 3.5 stars out of 5, writing, "Taj Mahal blends pure romance with a right portion of sentiment and a bit of humour. And it is ably complemented by its excellent music and brilliant cinematography. The film also underlines the importance of parents' contribution to the future of their children, and how such an important factor is missed out by today's youngsters... Performance-wise, Ajay has come out with his best till date. The actor, who made a very good first impression with Prem's Excuse Me, has bounced back with this powerful performance. Pooja Gandhi looks stunning and has worked hard to give a very strong performance." [15] Indiaglitz.com rated the film 7.5 out of 10 and stated that Ajay Rao "has done his role quite comfortably. Pooja Gandhi the heroine to watch on Kannada screen has been very good in emotions." [16] Sify rated the film 4 out of 5 and wrote that Rao "has done it impressively and he is looking for a major breakthrough. Pooja Gandhi looks pretty and has done a good job. Suresh Mangalore Rangayana Raghu and Ananthnag are apt." [17]

Box-office

The film was released in Karnataka and completed a 200-day theatrical run. It was reported to have completed 100-day runs at 11 centers. [18] The film grossed over ₹10 crore (US$1.2 million) at the Indian box-office, against a budget of ₹2.5 crore. [1] [3] [ better source needed ]

Awards and nominations

Totals
Awards won6
Nominations8

Awards

CeremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef.
56th Filmfare Awards South Best Actress Pooja Gandhi Nominated [19]
Best Actor Ajay Rao Nominated
Best Director R. Chandru Nominated
Best Music Director Abhimann Roy Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Ananth Nag Nominated
Best Supporting ActressPadmaja RaoNominated
Best lyricist R. Chandru Nominated
Karnataka State Film Awards Best Music Director Abhimann Roy Won [20]

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    References

    1. 1 2 "'Taj Mahal' the winner!". IndiaGlitz. 8 November 2008.
    2. ↑ "Taj Mahal Cast & crew". entertainment.oneindia. 2008.
    3. 1 2 "Sivaji to both act and produce a film". 4 March 2009.
    4. ↑ "TAJ MAHAL' THE WINNER! One of the very few hits of this year so far". m.indiaglitz.com. 18 November 2008.
    5. ↑ "Sivaji turns hero in Taj Mahal remake". Filmibeat. 4 November 2009.
    6. ↑ "Taj Mahal Review - Shivaji, Shuruthi, Kota Srinivasan Rao, Taj Mahal , Taj Mahal Telugu Movie Review ,Telugu movie review, Telugu cinema - 123telugu.com - Andhra Pradesh News and Views". www.123telugu.com.
    7. ↑ "Based on true stories". The New Indian Express. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    8. 1 2 Sebastian R., Shilpa (4 December 2017). "Breaking through every brass gate". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    9. ↑ "Sunil returns for good". Filmibeat.com. 20 November 2007. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    10. ↑ "Sunil Raoh was supposed to play Krishna Ajai's Rao's role". The Times of India. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    11. ↑ "Taj Mahal is not a copy". Midday.com. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
    12. ↑ "Tajmahal (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists". iTunes. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
    13. ↑ Ram, Avinash G. (25 July 2023). "'ಖುಷಿಯಾಗಿದೆ ಏಕೋ ನಿನ್ನಿಂದಲೇ...' ಎನ್ನುತ್ತ ಬಂದ 'ತಾಜ್ ಮಹಲ್‌' ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ 15 ವರ್ಷ". Vijay Karnataka (in Kannada). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    14. ↑ "Tajmahal is set to hit screens on 25 July". Filmibeat. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    15. ↑ "Review: Taj Mahal". Rediff.com. 25 July 2008.
    16. ↑ "Taj Mahal review. Taj Mahal Kannada movie review, story, rating". IndiaGlitz.com.
    17. ↑ "Taj Mahal". Sify. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
    18. ↑ "Kannada Movie/Cinema News - TAJ MAHAL GIVES MAHAL TO DIRECTOR! - Chitratara.com". Chitratara.com. 18 November 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    19. ↑ "Filmfare Awards South". www.imdb.com.
    20. ↑ "KARNATAKA STATE FILM AWARDS ANNOUNCED". m.indiaglitz.com. 3 December 2010.
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