Ondu Motteya Kathe (transl. Story of an egg (a bald person)) is a 2017 Kannada-language romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant Raj B. Shetty who also appears in the lead role, along with Usha Bhandary, Shailashree, Prakash Tuminadu, Amrutha Naik, Shreya Anchan, Vj Vineeth, Rahul Amin, Deepak Rai Panaje and Ramdas playing supporting roles. The movie was released on 7 July 2017 to positive reviews. The Hindu called it the "Kannada film of the year".[2] The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Kannada. The budget of the film was estimated to be at 30 lakhs INR and the movie was a commercial success by collecting 2.5 crores [3]

Ondu Motteya Kathe
Film poster
Directed byRaj B. Shetty
Written byRaj B. Shetty
Produced bySuhan Prasad
Pawan Kumar
StarringRaj B. Shetty
Usha Bhandary
Amrutha Naik
Deepak Rai Panaje
CinematographyPraveen Shriyan
Edited byPraveen Shriyan
Music byMidhun Mukundan
Production
companies
Pawan Kumar Studios
Mango Pickle Entertainment
Release date
  • 6 July 2017 (2017-07-06)
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Budget 30 lakhs
Box office 2.5 crores [1]

In 2019, the film was remade in Malayalam as Thamaasha[4][5][6] and in Hindi as Ujda Chaman.[7][8][9][10][11].

Plot edit

A bald Kannada teacher, Janardhana, finds his love blossoming with the stout Sarala whom he met through a flopped pre-arranged marriage function.

Cast edit

  • Raj B. Shetty as Janardhana [12]
  • Usha Bhandary[13] as Janardhan's mother
  • Shreya Anchan as Moha, marketing girl
  • Shailashree as Sarala
  • Amrutha Naik as E-Madam
  • VJ Vineeth as Janardhana's Brother
  • Mime Ramdas
  • Deepak Rai Panaje as Guruji
  • Prakash Thuminad as Srinivas
  • Shine Shetty as English lecturer

Soundtrack edit

Ondu Motteya Kathe
Soundtrack album by
Released1 May 2017
Recorded2017
StudioPranava Studios, Aum Studios, Lagori Studios
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length17:28
LabelAnand Audio
ProducerMidhun Mukundan
External audio
  Audio Jukebox on YouTube

The soundtrack of the film was composed by Midhun Mukundan and lyrics by Vishwajitj Rao, Raj B Shetty and Keerthan Bhandary.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Chanda Avala"Vishwajith Rao, Raj B ShettyMidhun Mukundan 
2."Henne"Keerthan BhandaryDeepak Doddera, Ruhee Ahamed A 
3."Neenillade"Raj B ShettySupriya Lohith, Raghu Ram 
4."Keli Nodri- The Motte Song"Raj B ShettySooraj Santosh, Mridula Mukundan 

Critical reception edit

The film received positive reviews from critics. Deccan Chronicle wrote "Do not miss to watch this tale of an egg. It makes you fall in love, laugh, cry and most of all, it makes you realise the most beautiful aspect of life."[14] Shyam S Prasad of Bangalore Mirror wrote "Ondu Motteya Kathe does not follow in the footsteps of such earlier Kannada films though. There is freshness in the approach. From the dialogues to the performances, there is a touch of new thinking. Motte does fall into familiar approaches in the second half. The plot is wrapped in a predictable manner. But with everything handled subtly, it comes across as a pioneering effort."[15] Rakesh Mehar of News Minute wrote "There’s little that goes wrong with Ondu Motteya Kathe. Light and frothy, but also warm and empathetic, this film is one comedy you surely should not miss."[16] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "But slowly, Ondu Motteya Kathe moves towards a genre that could be called an anti-rom-com: despite the finding-a-mate hilarity, there’s an undertow of genuine sadness"[17]

The film is probably the best tribute to Rajkumar made on Kannada screen till date and the subtle references to the late matinee idol and his films are a delight to any film buff. This movie brings forth the legend of Annavaru in an inspiring role through portraits, movie posters, scenes and songs featuring him smack bang in the middle throughout this humorous yet sensible Kannada release. Apart from Dr Rajkumar’s inspiring presence, this ‘egg’ has apt and simple ingredients which makes for an impressive tale. Debutant Raj shetty plays a major role in this film, both as writer, director and lead actor in his bald avatar.[18]

Movie was screened in Bangalore Bengali-Kannada Film Festival. It was one of the 4 films screened.[19]

Awards edit

Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
65th Filmfare Awards South Kannada Best Film Suhan Prasad
Pawan Kumar
Won [20][21]
Best Director Kannada Raj B. Shetty Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Kannada Usha Bhandari Nominated
7th SIIMA Best Film Suhan Prasad
Pawan Kumar
Nominated [22][23][24][25]
Best Debutant Actor (Male) Raj B. Shetty Nominated
Best Debutant Director Raj B. Shetty Nominated

References edit

  1. ^ "Ondu Motteya Kathe box office collection".
  2. ^ Kumar, S. Shiva (4 January 2018). "Some memorable films from the south of India in 2017". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  3. ^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (27 December 2017). "Sandalwood 2017 Report Card: Raajakumara, Hebbuli, Bharjari emerge as big hits in a rather dull year for Kannada cinema". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Thamaasha movie review: Vinay Forrt lends grace and charm to an endearing Everyman". Firstpost. 23 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Vinay Forrt's 'Thamasha' from the Sudani team". Sify. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Thamasha (2019) Malayalam Movie Review - Veeyen". 8 June 2019.
  7. ^ Scroll Staff. "'Ujda Chaman' trailer: Another balding hero's saga of finding love". Scroll.in.
  8. ^ "'Ujda Chaman' director Abhishek Pathak in plans to slap 'Bala' makers with a legal notice". The Times of India.
  9. ^ "Trouble for Ayushman Khurana? Ujda Chaman director to send legal notice to Bala makers".
  10. ^ "Ujda Chaman director planning to send legal notice to Bala makers: This is a clear case of copyright violation".
  11. ^ "Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Sunny Singh's bald move".
  12. ^ "Mangaluru Days: Why Kannada director Raj B Shetty is the talk of the country". thefederal.com. 24 January 2022.
  13. ^ "All you want to know about #UshaBhandary".
  14. ^ SM, Shashiprasad (7 July 2017). "Ondu Motteya Kathe movie review: Pretty 'bald' & beautiful". Deccan Chronicle.
  15. ^ "Ondu Motteya Kathe movie review: A Perfectly cooked egg". Bangalore Mirror.
  16. ^ Mehar, Rakesh (7 July 2017). "'Ondu Motteya Kathe' review: A warm and frothy comedy that you surely shouldn't miss". The News Minute.
  17. ^ "Ondu Motteya Kathe Movie Review". Film Companion. 6 July 2017.
  18. ^ SM, Shashiprasad (12 July 2017). "Movie review 'Ondu Motteya Kathe': Annavaru in an 'egg'cellent tale". Deccan Chronicle.
  19. ^ Datta, Sravasti (5 June 2018). "The Bengaluru Bengali Kannada Film Festival is here!". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  20. ^ "Nominations for the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Winners of the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Nomination List / Kannada". SIIMA. siima.in. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Nominations list for the SIIMA 2017 announced!". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017.
  24. ^ "SIIMA Awards 2018 - Telugu, Kannada nomination list out". International Business Times. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  25. ^ "SIIMA Awards 2018 Telugu Kannada winners list". International Business Times. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2020.

External links edit