Gaja is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language action romance film directed by K. Madesh. It stars Darshan in the titular lead role. The producers of the film claimed it is based on a story by novelist P. Ramachandra Rao (Chandu).[2] It is a remake of the 2005 Telugu film Bhadra.

Gaja
DVD cover
Directed byK. Madesh
Written byK. V. Raju (Dialogues)
Screenplay byK. Madesh
Based onBhadra (Telugu)(2005)
Produced byS Srinivasa Murthy
Suresh Gowda
StarringDarshan
CinematographyRamesh Babu
Edited byT. Shashi kumar Deepu. S. Kumar
Music byV. Harikrishna
Production
company
Sri SeethaByraveshwara productions
Distributed byJayanna Films
Release date
  • 11 January 2008 (2008-01-11)
Running time
2 hours 32 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Budget₹ 3.5 crores [1]
Box office₹ 7.5 crores [1]

Plot

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Gaja (Darshan) and Krishna are close friends. Gaja visits Krishna's village for a holiday but encounters some startling events. He discovers that Krishna's brother, Devendra, is embroiled in a feud with a rival faction, which has strained the relationship between the two families. Despite this, Gaja becomes a favorite of Devendra's family and also develops a liking for Shwetha (Navya Nair), Devendra's sister.

In a faction fight, Devendra and his wife are killed. Gaja tries to defuse the situation, but when he realizes that Devendra's entire family is being targeted, he decides to escape with Krishna and Shwetha. However, the rival faction leader's brother kills Krishna. In retaliation, Gaja kills him and flees to Bangalore with Shwetha. A cat-and-mouse game ensues as Gaja is pursued by the faction leaders. Ultimately, Gaja emerges victorious.

Cast

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Production

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As of October 2007, the shooting for the film was completed.[3]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack was composed by V. Harikrishna. All the lyrics were written by V. Nagendra Prasad.[citation needed]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Aitalakadi"Shankar Mahadevan, Shamitha Malnad4:56
2."Bangari Yare Nee"Jassie Gift, Chaitra H. G.4:38
3."Du Du Duniya"Tippu4:20
4."Lambuji"Shaan, K. S. Chitra4:14
5."Mathu Nannolu"Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal5:12
6."O Manase"Kunal Ganjawala4:37
7."Srikarane"K. S. Chitra2:02
Total length:29:59

Release

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Gaja was released on 11 January 2008. It was certified 'A' by the censor board. The film completed over 100 days at the box office and became an all-time hit in the Kannada film industry, marking a comeback for Darshan after a series of flops.[4] The songs "Bul Bul" ("Bangari Yare Nee") and the Gaja title track became chartbusters.

Critical reception

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Sify rated the film 4/5, praising the acting, music, and cinematography.[2][5] R G Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, stating, "Gaja's main strength is the music of Harikrishna and rich production values. Cameraman Ramesh Babu has to be complimented for his efforts. [...] The only thumbs down to Gaja is the director and producer's claim that their film is an original."[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "2008- Top 5 films at the box-office". Sify. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Gaja". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Gaja comes to an end". The Times of India. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  4. ^ "'Gaja is the biggest hit of my career'". Rediff. 17 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Gaja Movie Review". chitraloka.com. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Gaja is a good entertainer". Rediff.com. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
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