''Kiss'' is a 2019 Indian

Kannada 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 s ...

-language romantic

comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

A. P. Arjun A. P. Arjun (born 8 August 1984) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and lyricist. He works in Kannada cinema. He made his debut as a lyricist in the film ''Thangigagi'' (2006), he debuted as a director with the 2009 film '' Ambari''. His ...

and produced by V. Ravi Kumar under his home banner, Rashtrakuta Pictures. It is the second Kannada-language movie after ''

A 2nd Hand Lover ''A 2nd Hand Lover'' is a 2015 Indian Kannada language romance film directed by Raghav Marasur (Raghava Loki). It stars Ajay Rao, Pranitha Subhash and Anisha Ambrose. The film is about the life of a rock star. The core plot of the movie was loo ...

'' (2015) to be inspired by the 2004 South Korean film ''

100 Days with Mr. Arrogant ''100 Days with Mr. Arrogant'' (aka ''My Love Ssagaji'') is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film. History The film originates from a genre called ''internet fiction'' (인터넷 소설) (movies such as ''My Sassy Girl'' (엽기적인그녀), ' ...

''. The film features debutantes Viraat and

Sree Leela Sreeleela (alternatively spelt as Sree Leela; born June 14, 2001) is an American actress of Indian origin who predominantly appears in Kannada and Telugu films. She debuted in 2019 with ''Kiss'', winning Best Female Debut – Kannada at the SII ...

in lead roles. Actress

Mayuri Kyatari Mayuri Kyatari (born 11 July 1992) is an Indian actress and model. Kyatari began her career in the Kannada serial ''Ashwini Nakshatra'', which made her famous. She debuted in the Cinema of Karnataka, Kannada movie Krishna Leela (2015 film), Kri ...

dubbed for Shree Leela's dialogues. The film completed a 100-day theatrical run and became a commercial hit at the box office.

Plot

Nandini is an architecture student who damages the car of a multi-millionaire named Arjun. Not able to pay for the damage, she is asked to sign an agreement to work for Arjun for 72 days or give him two kisses. Nandini prefers the work option and, accordingly, cleans his house, takes care of his dog, serves his friends at parties, and so on. An incident makes Nandini realize that Arjun is not the arrogant guy she thinks he is, and she develops feelings for him. As their 72-day agreement draws to a close, she keeps her feelings to herself and departs Arjun's house in sadness. After a few days, Arjun realizes his love for Nandini and follows her to

Ooty Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...

, where he proposes to her in a park, but she rejects him. Determined to win her heart, Arjun pursues Nandini, who proceeds to give him the cold shoulder, even humiliating him in the hospital, where she is recuperating after a vicious attack by goons. Arjun leaves, heartbroken. The next day, he is about to depart Ooty, but Nandini catches up to him and confesses that she was testing him to see if he truly loved her. Arjun and Nandini then share their first kiss.

Cast

* Viraat as Arjun, a multi-millionare *

as Nandini, Arjun's love interest *

Chikkanna Chikkanna (born 22 June 1984), is an Indian actor who works in Kannada cinema and appears primarily in comic roles. He made his debut in films with ''Kirataka'' (2011), following which he was recognized for his performances in ''Raja Huli'' (20 ...

as Jaggi, Arjun's best friend *

Sadhu Kokila Sahaya Sheelan Shadrach (born 24 March 1966) known by his screen name Sadhu Kokila, is an Indian musician, actor, comedian, film director and producer, and an occasional screenwriter and lyricist who works in Kannada cinema. He began his care ...

as Musthafa, flower merchant *

H. G. Dattatreya Wing Commander Harihar Gundurao Dattatreya AE(L) (Retd.) (born 1942), popularly known as Dattanna, is an Indian actor who has appeared in more than 204 films and several plays. Alongside his career as an actor, he served in the Indian Air Force ...

as Nandini's PG owner * Apoorva Gowda – cameo appearance in the song "Sheela Susheela"

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was scored by

V. Harikrishna V. Harikrishna (born 5 November 1974) is an Indian film score and Soundtrack, soundtrack composer, playback singer and film producer. He has mainly scored music for Kannada cinema, Kannada films. After his stint as a programmer and assistant mu ...

and his son, Adi Hari, marking the latter's music production debut.

Reception

The film got a mixed reception from critics. A review in ''

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 ...

'' reads, "Go and watch Kiss if love stories are your cup of tea". ''

Bangalore Mirror ''Bangalore Mirror'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Bangalore, India. It is a deputed newspaper and is the second-largest circulating English newspaper in the city ''Vijay Times'' ''Vijay Times'' was an English newspaper st ...

'' called it "A typical young romance that goes on for an extended session in what can be described as an overmuch icof vanilla chocolate". A critic from the''

Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ( ...

'' wrote that the film "is a good one-time watch, especially for those who simply love the love stories of all kinds". A review in ''

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

'' stated that "With KISS, Arjun's intention to cater to the younger generation is quite evident, and it makes for a decent one-time watch". The ''

Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...

'' wrote that "'Kiss' is hardly even a one-time watch".

Sequel

Director A. P. Arjun has said he is planning to make a sequel to ''Kiss''.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 8810990 2019 films Indian romance films 2010s Kannada-language films Indian remakes of South Korean films