First DVD film in Kannada - Kami-Swami

‘Mimicry’ Dayanand has completed directing a kannada video film, Kami-Swami, a comic take on the sex scandal involving Paramahamsa Nithyananda. Master Hirannaiah and television artiste Venkatadri, Prakash and Sagar are among the cast. The DVD will hit the market in the next two days.

It will be on the lines of the audio CDs made popular by Dheerendra Gopal and other artistes a couple of decades ago. Kami-Swami will be the first direct-to-DVD film in Kannada. The film was shot in just over three days. “We worked on the script for the last four weeks. It is updated and there is a line in which the swami’s character says, ‘I had consensual sex with a woman. But there are people who have raped their friend’s wife and are roaming freely outside.’ It is not just about swami bashing. We have included every current issue possible,” says Dayanand who has also written the script.

“We are not trying to encash the issue. I could have just made this as a programme for a television channel. But we are trying to promote this as the first DVD film in Kannada,” said Dayanand.

ULLASA UTSAHA - Kannada Film Review

DIRECTOR: Devaraja Palan

ACTORS: Ganesh, Yami Goutham, Sharan,Rangayana Raghu


A star cast in a particular brand has a great task doing movies that would appeal to his core audience. And to satisfy the paying audience beyond that fan base is much harder. Ganesh, who had run into a rough patch not so long ago has undoubtedly bounced back with a film that would add to his romantic image. This film for the record is the remake of the Telugu film Ullasanga Utsahanga.

A young girl from a dysfunctional family yearns for her childhood friend Balaji. As she grows up she believes she is in love with him though she does not meet him for years. She runs away from a wedding her stepmother arranges for her. Cut to the city, Preetham (Ganesh) a dandy and misfit in his family falls in love with her. He cannot reconcile the fact that she is in love with someone else. But he respects her decision and tries to help her find lost love. They journey together to Kolkota where Balaji is waiting for her. How this love triangle disentangles itself is shown in some sentimental, a few romantic and a couple of humorous scenes.

Ganesh is at his best in scenes where he plays the losing lover. It is one of those filmi episodes that he has made his very own. For some reason, his looks in Ullasa Utsaha are the best in any of his films. Newcomer and Mumbai import Yami Goutham looks like Haripriya. She is adequate in the role but the chemistry between the lead pair is not great. GV Prakash Kumar, a relative of AR Rehman, scores for his first Kannada film. Only a couple of songs are top class. The rest are plain.

What works for the film is the strict adherence to a well worked out storyline and the comedy situations that are worked into it. A truly enjoyable film. But be wary of Sandalwood cinema halls. Make sure the one you visit has the AC working. The 'main theatre' (a superstitious release of every Kannada film in one cinema hall in Gandhinagar) goes horribly wrong for this film. Anupama, the cinema hall running this film has only ceiling fans that suck out air and gives you a sweat shower.