Taj Mahal (2008 film)

Taj Mahal is a 2008 Indian Kannada romantic drama film directed and written by R. Chandru and starring Ajay Rao and Pooja Gandhi.[3] Produced by T. Shivashankar Reddy, the film is Chandru's directoral debut. The film opened on 25 July 2008, and had a 200-day run in Karanataka.[4][5][6] 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.[7] It was remade in Telugu under the same title - Taj Mahal in 2010 starring Sivaji.[8][9][10]

Taj Mahal
Theatrical poster
Directed byR. Chandru
Produced byT. Shivashankar Reddy
Written byR. Chandru
StarringAjay Rao
Pooja Gandhi
Rangayana Raghu
Ananth Nag
Music byAbhiman Roy
CinematographyK. S. Chandrashekar
Edited byK. M. Prakash
Production
company
Shiva Shakthi Enterprises
Release date
  • 25 July 2008 (2008-07-25)
Running time
154 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Budget₹2.5 crore[1]
Box office₹10 crore (US$1.4 million)[2]

Synopsis

Ajaykumar (Ajay Rao), 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 (Pooja Gandhi), the owner of the suitcase, is immensely happy when she gets her father's suitcase back, 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 but on the examination day he gets a call from Shruthi.

Shruthi's father is back from abroad and is seriously looking for Kumar who is seeking isolation in his village. By the time Shruthi comes to know that Kumar and Ajay are one and the same person, meanwhile Ajay (Ajay Rao) was no longer live.

Production

Sunil Raoh was asked to play the lead but backed out, citing personal reasons. Ajay Rao, who had one successful role in the film Excuse Me, replaced Raoh. Taj Mahal's success enhanced Rao's career.

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]

Cast
  • Ajay Rao as Ajay
  • Pooja Gandhi as Shruti
  • Ananth Nag as Shruthi's Father
  • Ashok
  • Rangayana Raghu as Shankranna
  • Vishwanath Mundasada
  • Honnavalli Krishna
  • Aravind
  • Padmaja Rao
  • Padmini Prakash

Soundtrack

The music of the film was composed by Abhiman Roy. The soundtrack won him the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director for 2008-09.

Taj Mahal
Soundtrack album by
Abhiman Roy
Released2008 (2008)
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LabelSkanda Audio
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Hoovantha Preethi"K. KalyanHariharan, Supriya Lohith 
2."Kushiyagide Eko Ninnindale"R. ChandruKunal Ganjawala 
3."Nee Nanna Manasinali"Abhiman RoyRajesh Krishnan 
4."Neenendu Nannavanu"R. ChandruShreya Ghoshal 
5."Kolluvudaadare Kondubidu"Manju HonnavarBadri Prasad 
6."Preethi Annnodu"Lokesh KrishnaChetan Sosca 
7."Ibbaru Preethina"Manjunath LavaAbhiman Roy 

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."[12]

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."[13]

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."[14]

Box office

The film was released in Karnataka and completed a 200-day theatrical run. The film grossed over ₹10 crore (US$1.4 million) at the Indian box-office, against a budget of ₹2.5 crore.[15][16]

Awards and nominations
Totals
Awards won 6
Nominations 8

Awards
Ceremony Category Nominee Result Ref.
56th Filmfare Awards South Best Actress Pooja Gandhi Nominated [17]
Best Actor Ajay Rao Nominated
Best Director R. Chandru Nominated
Best Music Director Abhimann Roy Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Ananth Nag Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Padmaja Rao Nominated
Best lyricist R. Chandru Nominated
Karnataka State Film Awards Best Music Director Abhimann Roy Won [18]
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    gollark: Interesting question!
    gollark: Not Haskell. It's too strongly typed for JS-style insanity.

    References
    1. "Ajay rao Impresses With New Strategy".
    2. "'Taj Mahal' the winner!". IndiaGlitz. 8 November 2008.
    3. "Taj Mahal Cast & crew". entertainment.oneindia. 2008.
    4. http://www.bharatstudent.com/cafebharat/view_news-Telugu-News_and_Gossips-2,40902.php
    5. http://www.sify.com/movies/after-meghana-raj-ravichandran-roped-in-for-lakshmana-news-kannada-pg1jnGiadehej.html
    6. "Sivaji to both act and produce a film".
    7. "TAJ MAHAL' THE WINNER! One of the very few hits of this year so far". m.indiaglitz.com.
    8. http://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/news/2009/sivaji-taj-mahal-hero-041109.html
    9. http://m.greatandhra.com/movies/reviews/taj-mahal-review-not-a-wonder-19913.html
    10. https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/T/Taj_Mahal/Taj_Mahal_Review.html
    11. "Taj Mahal is not a copy". Midday.com. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
    12. "Review: Taj Mahal". Rediff.com. 25 July 2008.
    13. http://m.indiaglitz.com/taj-mahal-kannada-movie-review-10338.html
    14. http://www.sify.com/movies/taj-mahal-review-kannada-pclwGuibgfiha.html
    15. "'Taj Mahal' the winner!". IndiaGlitz. 8 November 2008.
    16. "Sivaji to both act and produce a film".
    17. "Filmfare Awards South". www.imdb.com.
    18. "KARNATAKA STATE FILM AWARDS ANNOUNCED". m.indiaglitz.com.
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