''Kaama'' () is a 1999 Indian drama film co-written and directed by
Ashok Kumar
Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
He ...
. Simultaneously made in three languages, the film stars newcomers Vishal, Sunila and Urvashi, while
Deepti Bhatnagar
Deepti Bhatnagar (born 30 September 1967) is a former Indian actress and model who worked predominantly in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu films. Her first film role came in Sanjay Gupta's ''Ram Shastra''. She has also appeared in the Telugu ...
, Asha Mehra and
Alphonsa make guest appearances. The film was titled as ''Kaama'' in Tamil, ''Kama'' in Telugu and ''Kaama Tantra'' (, see also
tantra
Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
) in Hindi. The music for the film was composed by
Adithyan
Aadithyan (birth name Titus; 9 April 1954 – 5 December 2017) was an Indian film score and soundtrack composer. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil films apart from working in Telugu and Malayalam films. He sang several songs for his o ...
and the film opened across India in September 1999.
Cast
*Vishal
*Sunila
*Urvashi
*
Deepti Bhatnagar
Deepti Bhatnagar (born 30 September 1967) is a former Indian actress and model who worked predominantly in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu films. Her first film role came in Sanjay Gupta's ''Ram Shastra''. She has also appeared in the Telugu ...
*Asha Mehra
*
Alphonsa
*
Satya Prakash
Satya Prakash (born 1929) is an Indian plasma physicist and a former senior professor at the Physical Research Laboratory. He is known for his studies on Langmuir probes and other contributions in space and plasma sciences. A protégé of Vikra ...
*
Bala Singh
Bala Singh (7 May 195227 November 2019) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language films. After making his debut in Nassar's '' Avatharam'' (1995), he appeared as the antagonist in over a hundred films.
Early life and career
Bala Sing ...
as Venkatagiri
*Suriyan as Panneerselvam
*Parivallal as Devaraj
*Kaushal as Navananda Swamy
*S. V. Ramadoss as a judge
*
K. R. Vatsala as a rich lady
*
Idichapuli Selvaraj
Idichapuli Selvaraj ( – 30 January 2012) was a veteran Tamil comedy actor. He acted in more than five hundred films. He acted along with lot of actors. He also worked as an assistant director for the M. G. Ramachandran films like ''Idhayakkani ...
as a constable
Production
After making films with sexual content including ''
Kamagni'' (1987) and ''
Andru Peytha Mazhaiyil
''Andru Peytha Mazhaiyil'' () is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language film directed and photographed by Ashok Kumar. The film stars Sarath Babu, Silk Smitha and Saranya. It is a remake of the 1987 American film '' Fatal Attraction''.
Plot
Rajesh is a ...
'' (1989),
Ashok Kumar
Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
He ...
chose to make a further film on the same theme as he felt that one "cannot sell the film unless it has got some sensuality".
Titled ''Kaama'', the film's director cast his son, Vishal, in the leading role with actresses Sunila and Urvashi also selected. Debutant Asha Mehra also signed to star in the film, while the script was co-written by writer
Randor Guy
Madabhushi Rangadorai (born 8 November 1937), better known by his pen name Randor Guy, is an Indian lawyer, columnist and film and legal historian associated with the English language newspaper ''The Hindu''. He is also the official editor of the ...
. Production began in August 1998 and the shoot of the film was completed in six months in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously. Production began with a week-long schedule in Chennai depicting the lead actress's house, then a song featuring the lead three actors and forty dancers was shot at
Mahabalipuram
Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is o ...
.
Actress
Deepti Bhatnagar
Deepti Bhatnagar (born 30 September 1967) is a former Indian actress and model who worked predominantly in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu films. Her first film role came in Sanjay Gupta's ''Ram Shastra''. She has also appeared in the Telugu ...
also shot for an
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Be ...
in the film, featuring in a song involving the use of props such as honey, milk, rosewater and mud of sandalwood. A further song with
Shweta Menon
Shwetha Menon is an Indian actress, model and television anchor. She won '' Femina Miss India Asia Pacific 1994''. She has predominantly acted in Malayalam and Hindi language films, besides appearing in a number of Telugu and Tamil Language Fil ...
at
Hogenakkal Falls
Hogenakkal Falls (' ஒகேனக்கல் அருவி', ' ಹೊಗೇನಕಲ್ ಜಲಪಾತ') is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri river on the border between Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu and Chamrajnagar district ...
was planned but later not shot.
Before the release of the film, the project garnered significant media attention due to its sexual content. The theatrical distribution rights was sold out across the country, with particular popularity in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, where its business was compared to that of the
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...
-starrer ''
Padayappa
''Padayappa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya with Abbas, Lakshmi, Radha Ravi and Nassar playing supporting roles. The soun ...
'' (1999). The publicity prompted producer Jagadeswara Reddy to add the title ''Kaama'' before his name, and be subsequently referred to in the media as "Kaama" Jagadeswara Reddy. The producer also announced another project titled ''Kaamini'' featuring
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty; Née Shetty; 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi-language films. Shetty made her screen debut in the thriller ''Baazigar'' (1993) which garnered her nominations for two Filmfare ...
in February 1999, but the film was never made.
Release
The film failed to gain clearance from the
Central Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
in March 1999 due to its erotic content. In an interview to Rediff.com, Ashok Kumar stated his anger at the Board's decision to label it "a perverted, pornographic film" and questioned their aesthetic, creative and cinematic sense. He added that it was unfair that the Board were trying to taint his image as a respected filmmaker with such accusations.
The film later had a low-profile, limited release in September 1999.
Ashok Kumar later chose to relaunch his son, Vishal, through another film with a similar theme titled ''Khajuraho'' (2002) featuring him alongside actresses
Mamta Kulkarni
Mamta Kulkarni is a former Indian actress and model known for her work in Hindi cinema. She has appeared in commercial successful Hindi films such as ''Aashiq Awara'' (1993), ''Waqt Hamara Hai'' (1993), ''Krantiveer'' (1994), ''Karan Arjun'' (19 ...
and Saadhika.
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 3715280
1999 films
1990s Tamil-language films
1990s Telugu-language films
1990s Hindi-language films
Indian erotic drama films
Indian multilingual films
1990s erotic drama films
1999 multilingual films