...Re (English: If) is a 2016 Indian Kannada 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.[2] Harshika Poonacha and debutant actress Suman play female leads in the film.[2] Ananth Nag had revealed that the movie is thematically similar to Badal Sircar's play Ballabpurer Roopkatha.[3]
| ...Re | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Sunil Kumar Desai |
| Screenplay by | Sunil Kumar Desai |
| Story by | Sunil Kumar Desai |
| Produced by | Lokesh R. |
| Starring | Ramesh Aravind Anant Nag Harshika Poonacha Suman Divya shetty Shridhar |
| Cinematography | G.S. Bhaskar |
| Edited by | B. S. Kemparaj |
| Music by | Hamsalekha |
Production company | Sujana Creations |
| Distributed by | Jayanna Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 153 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada |
Cast
edit- 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
- Srinivasa 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
editPre-production of this movie started in 2013 with the title “Thandana Thandanaana”. The film has been produced by Lokesh R under Sujana Creations banner and has mostly been shot in and around Bengaluru.
Ace cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar who has previously worked for Hollywood technicians such as Richard Attenborough has handled the camera.[4] Veteran music director Hamsalekha has composed the music for the film. The movie was initially titled Thandana Thandanana.[5] Ananth Nag had revealed that the movie is thematically similar to Badal Sircar's play Ballabpurer Roopkatha.[3]
In an interview with The New Indian Express, the director Sunil Kumar Desai said that the film revolves around the "'ifs' of our lives".[6] 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] Anant Nag also felt that the movie had "serious messages" about Indian cultural heritage and Adi Shankara's Advaita philosophy.[3] It has been touted as the comeback film of legends of Kannada cinema such as—director Sunil Kumar Desai, music director Hamsalekha and senior artists Loknath and Shivram.[7] In an interview with the Times of India, Ramesh Aravind said that "Re" may seem like a film from the 70s or 80s and the "old world charm" of the film is intentional.[8] The film makes a sweeping criticism at the state of open defecation in India.[9]
Soundtrack
edit| No. | Song Title | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Nanondu Bilihaale" | Badri Prasad, Hiranmayee | Hamsalekha |
| 2 | "Savi Nenapina" | Badri Prasad | Hamsalekha |
Reception
editCritical response
editA 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".[10] 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".[11] 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".[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Loving it with Re". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
- ^ a b "'...Re' Desai Trick". indiaglitz.com. 2 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Dhwani Desai (28 February 2016). "Lucky to play challenging roles: Ananth Nag". The Times of India.
- ^ Muralidhara Khajane (25 August 2014). "Attenborough as seen through Bhaskar's eyes". The Hindu.
- ^ "I got offers, but from the wrong kind of people". The Times of India.
- ^ "'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.