Kurukshetra (transl. Kuru's place) is a 2019 Kannada-language mythological war film[3][4] written by J. K. Bharavi and directed by Naganna. The story is based on the epic poem Gadhayuddha by Ranna,[5][6][7] which itself is based on the Indian epic Mahabharata.[8][9] The story is centred on Duryodhana, the Kaurava king.[10] The film was produced by Munirathna.[11]
| Kurukshetra | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Naganna |
| Written by | J. K. Bharavi |
| Story by | Munirathna |
| Produced by | Munirathna |
| Starring | Darshan Ambareesh Arjun Sarja V. Ravichandran Meghana Raj Sneha Sonu Sood Nikhil Kumar Hariprriya Danish Akhtar Saifi |
| Cinematography | Jayanan Vincent |
| Edited by | Jo Ni Harsha |
| Music by | V. Harikrishna |
Production companies | KCN Movies Vrushabhadri Productions Rockline Productions |
| Distributed by | Rockline
Entertainment (Kannada) Geetha Arts (Telugu) V. Creations(Tamil) Global United Media(Malayalam) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 185 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada |
| Budget | ₹50 crore[1] |
| Box office | ₹90 crore [2] |
The film features an ensemble cast, including Darshan, Ambareesh (his final role), V. Ravichandran, P. Ravishankar, Arjun Sarja, Meghana Raj, Sneha, Sonu Sood, Danish Akhtar Saifi, Nikhil Kumar, Haripriya, and Shashikumar, portraying characters from Mahabharata.[12] The score and soundtrack were composed by V. Harikrishna while the cinematography was by Jayanan Vincent.[13]
The film was released on 9 August 2019 across more than 1000 screens, making it the widest release for any Kannada film alongside the dubbed Telugu version. On 15 August, the Tamil version was released. The Malayalam-language version was released on 18 October in Kerala.[14] It was the highest-grossing kannada film of 2019 [15] and one of the highest-grossing Kannada films.[16]
Plot
editThe story is a reinterpretation of the war described in the Mahabharata Sanskrit epic from Duryodhana's viewpoint.[17] After losing to the Kauravas in a gamble, the Pandavas go into exile and endure hardship for a number of years. Upon their return, conflict arises over the dynastic succession leading to a war.
Cast
edit- Darshan as Duryodhana
- Arjun Sarja as Karna
- V Ravichandran as Krishna
- Ambareesh as Bheeshma
- Sonu Sood as Arjuna
- Danish Akhtar Saifi as Bhima
- Sneha as Draupadi
- Meghana Raj as Bhanumati
- P. Ravishankar as Shakuni
- Srinath as Dhritarashtra
- Srinivasa Murthy as Dronacharya
- Shashikumar as Dharmaraya
- Chandan Kumar as Nakula
- Yashas Surya as Sahadeva
- Rockline Venkatesh as Shalya
- Bharathi Vishnuvardhan as Kunti
- Nikhil Kumar as Abhimanyu
- Ravi Chethan as Dushasana
- Bharat Gowda as Ashwatthama
- Aditi Arya as Uttara
- Pavitra Lokesh as Subhadra
- Haripriya as Maaye in a special appearance in the song "Jhumma Jhumma"
- Ramesh Bhat as Vidura
- Avinash as Gandhara Raja Subala
- Ashrita Vemuganti as Sri Krishna's wife
- Uma Hebbar as Gandhari
- Amit Tiwari as a Kaurava army warrior
Production
editThe official launch of the film was held on 6 August 2017 with filming beginning on the same day.[18] A major portion of the film was shot at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.[19] The film was shot twice, first in 2D format and then in 3D, with shooting completed after more than 230 days.[20] A few scenes and dialogues were reported to have been inspired by the 1977 Telugu movie Daana Veera Soora Karna.[21][22]
Soundtrack
edit| Kurukshetra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2019 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Language | Kannada | |||
| Label | Lahari Music | |||
| Producer | V. Harikrishna | |||
| V. Harikrishna chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Kurukshetra | ||||
| ||||
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Audio Jukebox Malayalam on YouTube | |
| Audio Jukebox Kannada on YouTube | |
| Audio Jukebox Tamil on YouTube | |
| Audio Jukebox Telugu on YouTube |
Music director V. Harikrishna was commissioned to compose the film's score. Lahari Music, which bagged the film's audio rights for ₹1.5 crore, launched the soundtrack on 7 July 2019.[23] The first song, "Saahore Saaho", was released on 5 July 2019.
- Kannada Tracklist
All lyrics are written by V. Nagendra Prasad
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Saahore Saaho" | Vijay Prakash | 4:07 |
| 2. | "Chaaruthanthi[24][25]" | Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Yelliruve Hariye" | Anuradha Bhat | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Jhumma Jhumma" | Anuradha Bhat, Shweta Mohan | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Uthare Uthare" | Santhosh Venky, Shreya Ghoshal | |
| 6. | "Aava Yochaneyu" | Hemanth Kumar |
- Hindi Tracklist
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Saahore Saaho" | |
| 4. | "Jumma Jumma" |
- Telugu Tracklist
All lyrics are written by Vennelakanti
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Saahore Saaho" | M. M. Keeravani | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Raaga Thanthi" | Sai Charan, Harini | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Hey Bharatha Vamshaja" | Mano | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Jhumma Jhumma" | Chinmayi, Mano | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Uthtara Uththara" | Sarath Santosh, Neha Venugopal | 4:18 |
| 6. | "Kurukula Thilakalu" | Sri Vardhini | 4:18 |
- Tamil Tracklist
All lyrics are written by D. Sai Mohan Kumar
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Veerathi Veera" | Mukesh | |
| 2. | "Kaadhal Kiliye" | Sathyaprakash, Neha Venugopal | |
| 3. | "Jumma Jumma" | Chinmayi, Mano | |
| 4. | "Guru Kulathai" | Surmukhi Raman | |
| 5. | "Uyire Uyire" | Sarath Santhosh, Neha Venugopal | |
| 6. | "Hey Bharatha" | Mano |
- Malayalam Tracklist
All lyrics are written by Mangop Gopalakrishnan
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aajanu Bahu" | P. Unnikrishnan | 4:07 |
| 2. | "Charugandhi" | Sajin, Preetha | 3:27 |
| 3. | "Engunee Hariye" | Preetha | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Jumma Jumma" | Renjini Jose | 4:46 |
| 5. | "Uthare Uthare" | Sajin, Kavitha | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Hey Bharatha Vamshaja" | Sajin | 2:13 |
| Total length: | 21:34 | ||
Release
editHome media
editThe satellite rights for the Kannada and Hindi versions of the film were bought by two different companies for ₹9 crore and ₹9.5 crore, respectively.[23]
Release date allocation
editA news report in late 2018 speculated that the film would be released in February 2019.[26] But a delay caused the release date to be pushed to 5 April, targeting an Ugadi release.[27] After actor Nikhil Kumar announced his participation in the 2019 Indian general elections, and the release date was further postponed as promotion of a candidate is prohibited during the elections. Producer Munirathna remarked, "The film is made in both 2D and 3D and it has got delayed due to the extensive graphics. Now, we are ready with the product and as planned, I am very keen to release this in April first week. But since Nikhil is part of our film, if I want to go ahead with the planned release date, I will have to lose out the entire Mysuru region."[28] The film was later slated to be released on 9 August but pulled forward by a week in order to avoid a clash in screen allotment with another multi-language release Saaho.[29] Later, it was rescheduled to 9 August to coincide with the festival of Varamahalakshmi Vrata.
The film was planned to be simultaneously released in four languages, apart from Kannada. It was released on 9 August 2019 in both 2D and 3D formats in two languages – Kannada and Telugu. On 15 August 2019, the Tamil version was released. Due to floods in Kerala, the Malayalam version was released on 18 October 2019.
On 5 September 2019, the film was released in the Middle East countries of United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.[30]
References
edit- ^ "Kurukshetra". The Times of India. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "'K.G.F.: Chapter 1' to 'Avane Srinamnarayana': Top 5 highest-grossing films in the history Sandalwood". The Times of India. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Bharadwaj, K. v Aditya (9 August 2019). "'Kurukshetra' review: Rare mythological 3D treat, but lacks originality". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Must-watch mythological movies in Kannada". Times Now. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Kurukshetra movie review: This Darshan film is a throwback to old-school mythological dramas". 9 August 2019.
- ^ "Kurukshetra Movie Review: Darshan shines in this seamless retelling of Mahabharata". Cinema Express.
- ^ "Kurukshetra movie review: The Mahabharta is told more with more focus on flesh, than the spirit". Firstpost. 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Kurukshetra High Budget Movie in the Making". DesiMartini.com. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Director Naganna Kurukshetra, start with a song". Indiaglitz.com. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Darshan set to star as Duryodhana in 50th film". Bangalore Mirror. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Budget without limits for Kurukshetra". The New Indian Express. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Kurukshetra could be Kannada cinema biggest multi-starrer". The Financial Express. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Harikrishna readying music for Kurukshetra". The New Indian Express. 27 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ SM, Shashiprasad (26 July 2019). "Kurukshetra to hit 3,000 screens in 3D". Deccan Chronicle.
- ^ "Year Ender 2021: Highest-grossing Kannada Movies of the Year". 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Kurushetra". The Times of India. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Historical drama Kurukshetra will be a festival: Naganna". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Kurukshetra News: Movie To Launch Today; CM Siddaramaiah To Clap Start The Movie!". Filmibeat.com. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "An epic realised on screen". The Hindu. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ Bharadwaj, K. v Aditya (3 August 2019). "Mythological drama Kurukshetra to hit screens in five languages on Aug. 9". Thehindu.com.
- ^ Bharadwaj, K. v Aditya (9 August 2019). "'Kurukshetra' review: Rare mythological 3D treat, but lacks originality". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Muniratna Kurukshetra movie review: This film won't disappoint". Bangalore Mirror.
- ^ a b "Kurukshetra to hit screens on August 9". Thehindu.com. 18 May 2019.
- ^ "Chaaruthanti: Second single from Darshan-starrer Kurukshetra to be out on Saturday". Cinema Express.
- ^ "Kurukshetra: ಲೋಕಾರ್ಪಣೆಗೊಳ್ಳಲಿದೆ ಕುರುಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ಸಿನಿಮಾದ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಹಾಡು." Kannada.news18.com. 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Darshan's Muniratna Kurukshetra to see a February release?". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Muniratna Kurukshetra set for Ugadi release". Bangalore Mirror.
- ^ "Nikhil Gowda's 'Kurukshetra' is ready, but needs Election Commission clearance". The News Minute. 14 March 2019.
- ^ "Muniratna Kurukshetra hits the screen early". Bangalore Mirror.
- ^ "Kurukshetra: ಸಾಗರದಾಚೆಗೂ ಸುಯೋಧನನ ಯಾತ್ರೆ: ಅರಬ್ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡದ 'ಕುರುಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ'". kannada.news18.com. 7 September 2019.
External links
edit- Kurukshetra at IMDb