''Benkipatna'' ( kn, ಬೆಂಕಿಪಟ್ಣ) is 2015 Indian

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by T. K. Dayanand. It stars Prathap Narayan, Anushree and Arun Sagar in the lead roles. The supporting cast features

Prakash Belawadi Prakash Belawadi is an Indian theatre artist, film director, television and media personality, who's also a teacher, activist and a journalist. He hails from Bangalore. He has participated in many seminars, conferences and festivals in India an ...

, Jahangir, Rangashankara Manju and

B. Suresha B. Suresha is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor who works in Kannada-language films. He is known for directing the films ''Artha'' (2003) and ''Puttakkana Highway'' (2011). Career B. Suresha made his debut as a child ac ...

. The film is based on real incidents that occurred in the

Kodagu district Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

Cast

* Prathap Narayan as Hanumanthu * Anushree as Pavani * Arun Sagar as Dorai *

as Limba Rama * M. S. Jahangir * Rangashankara Manju *

as Babuli * Kalandar Baba Hebbsale * Renuka * Sampath * Kemparaju Doddatti * Lakshman * Sa Su Vishwanath

Production

''Benkipatna'' was the first film of T. K. Dayanand, a former journalist and writer, as a director. The film is based on a real life incident that Dayanand covered as a journalist. Prior to its release, it was revealed that the film is a love story of a youth who makes a living selling rat poison and a manual labourer in a fictional town called Benkipatna. Television host Anushree was signed to play Pavani, the female lead in the film, in her first film as a lead actress.

Soundtrack

Steve and Koushik composed the film's background score and music for its soundtrack. The album consists of nine tracks that includes three spoken dialogues. The album was released on 6 October 2014 in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Critical reception

Upon theatrical release, the film received positive reviews from critics. Muralidhara Khajane of ''

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'' felt the film is "a sincere attempt to present the life of pourakarmikas from all possible angles" and that "Besides being pro-life, Benkipatna is all about the ills of society." He concluded writing, " Anushree steals the show with her performance and dialogue delivery. Pratap Narayan does not disappoint. Prakash Belwadi, Arun Sagar and B. Suresh have filled life into their characters." ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' in its review rated the film 3/5 and wrote, "Prathap Narayan and Anushree breath life into their characters. With his flawless dialogue delivery, Prakash Belawadi is a treat to watch. Manjunath Gowda, Arun Sagar and B Suresha essay their roles with ease and grace. Music by Steve Kaushik and camerawork by Niranjan Babu are impressive." A. Sharadhaa of ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' felt the film was a "brave attempt" by a debutant director having taken up a "hard-hitting subject". She wrote commending "a decent performance" by the lead actors. The reviewer for ''

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'' felt was made on the "ignored class" of the society. On the performances of the lead pair, he wrote, "The unique love story, the rugged looks, the emotions are brilliantly brought out by these two" and added, "Prakash Belawadi's role is small and classic indeed and Arun Sagar is at his best performance till date." he concluded crediting the film's music and called it "melodious and striking."

References

{{reflist 2015 films Indian drama films 2015 drama films 2010s Kannada-language films