Kalpana (2012 Film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Kalpana'' is a 2012 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 comedy horror film starring
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...
, Saikumar and
Lakshmi Rai Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). Al ...
in the lead roles. Film maker
Rama Narayanan Rama Narayanan (3 April 1949 – 22 June 2014) was an Indian film director and producer. In the 1980s, he was known as a director who specialized in shooting commercial films in which animals played vital roles, while in the 1990s, several of h ...
directed and produced this movie under his banner Sri Thenaandal Films. The film is a remake of the 2011
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
film '' Kanchana''. Saikumar reprises the role of a transgender ''Kalpana'', originally played by
Sarath Kumar Sarathkumar Ramanathan (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker, and singer. He has acted in more than 130 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards S ...
in the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
version. Shruti and
Umashri Umashree (born 10 May 1957) is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her portrayal of film roles spoken in the Kannada language (over 400), particularly comic roles. She received National Film Award for Best Actress for her role a ...
play supporting roles originally played by
Devadarshini Devadarshini is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films, in addition to few Telugu films and television series. She began her career as a television anchor before venturing into acting, first in television and then in films. ...
and
Kovai Sarala Kovai Sarala is an Indian actress and comedian, who prominently plays supporting roles in Tamil and Telugu films. She has won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedian three times, for her performances in '' Sathi Leelavathi'' (1995), '' ...
. The film was released across
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 ...
on 28 September 2012 and opened to positive response from critics and audiences. The performances of Sai Kumar and
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...
have been critically acclaimed. The film did well at the box office and was a 'Super Hit' in
Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
,
Northern Karnataka North Karnataka is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 13 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhi ...
,
Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance which is locate ...
,
Bellary Bellary, officially Ballari, in the eponymous Bellary district, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. History Bellary was a part of Rayalaseema (Ceded Districts) which was part of Madras Presidency till 1 November 1956. The Ballari ...
districts, while a 'Hit' in other parts of
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 ...
. ''Kalpana'' was the Sixth Highest Grossing Kannada film of 2012.
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...
won the Udaya Film Award for Best Male Actor for his performance in the film. A sequel to the film was made and titled as '' Kalpana 2'' which is a remake of Tamil film '' Kanchana 2''. The film was later dubbed into Hindi as ''Bhagmati'' by Goldmines Telefilms in 2017.


Plot

Raghava (
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...
) is a typical jobless youth who spends his days playing cricket with friends. He suffers from an irrational fear of ghosts, and retreats to the safety of his home after sunset. So great is his fear, that he prefers to sleep with his mother (
Umashri Umashree (born 10 May 1957) is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her portrayal of film roles spoken in the Kannada language (over 400), particularly comic roles. She received National Film Award for Best Actress for her role a ...
) and have her accompany him to the bathroom at night. This creates major annoyance in the household, including Raghava's brother (
Achyuth Kumar Achyuth Kumar is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. Born in the town of Belur, in the district of Hassan and brought up in Tiptur. He graduated in bachelor of commerce from the Kalpatharu First Grade College, which was ...
), sister-in-law ( Shruti) and their children. One day, Raghava and his friends are forced to abandon their usual cricket ground and find a new one; they unwittingly select an abandoned ground which is rumored to be haunted. A bizarre weather change scares them away. Raghava brings home his cricket stumps, which have been stained with blood from a buried corpse in the ground. He focuses on wooing Priya (
Lakshmi Rai Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). Al ...
), the sister of his sister-in-law. In the following days, his mother and sister-in-law are witness to several paranormal phenomena at night; prominently a ghost haunting the hallways. On consulting a priest, they perform 3 rituals to ascertain if the house is haunted: 1. They keep a coconut on a rangoli and pray to
Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. The coconut rotates on its own. 2. They make a cow eat food. The cow runs out of the house without eating the food. 3. They leave a lit lamp and two drops of blood and leave the house. A ghost of a woman appears before them and licks the blood. Scared senseless, Raghava's mother and sister-in-law hire two priests (
Om Prakash Rao Om Prakash Rao is an Indian film director, screenwriter, film producer and actor who primarily works in Kannada film industry. He has, till date, directed about 47 films in Kannada language. Career Om Prakash Rao's successful films such as Lo ...
and
Bullet Prakash Bullet Prakash (2 April 1976 – 6 April 2020) was an Indian actor who worked in Kannada cinema. Known for portraying comic roles, Prakash appeared in over 325 films. He earned the nickname "Bullet" because he used to ride the motorbike, Roya ...
) to rid their home of the ghost. The priests, however, are conmen, and escape with their lives. That night, the ghost possesses Raghava, who begins acting increasingly
effeminate Effeminacy is the embodiment of traits and/or expressions in those who are not of the female sex (e.g. boys and men) that are often associated with what is generally perceived to be feminine behaviours, mannerisms, styles, or gender roles, rath ...
, alienating himself from Priya and wearing women's clothes and jewellery. His family angrily confronts him, when it is revealed that there are actually three ghosts who have possessed him: a violent woman, a Hindi-speaking Muslim, and an intellectually disabled boy. Raghava's family hires an
exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, ...
, who successfully drives the spirit away from Raghava's body. The ghost of the woman, trapped, reveals her story. Kalpana ( Sai Kumar Pudipeddi) is a
transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
who was disowned by her parents. She is offered shelter by a kind Muslim Akbar Bai (
Babu Antony Babu Antony (born 22 February 1966) is an Indian-American actor and martial artist, who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in several Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Sinhalese, Hindi and English films. He started his career doing a ...
), who has an intellectually disabled son. Regretting that she couldn't become a doctor as she intended, she adopts another young transgender, Geetha, and works hard to support her financially. When Geetha leaves to study medicine abroad, Kalpana buys a plot of land where Geetha intended to construct a hospital for the poor. That ground is unlawfully taken by crooked MLA Shankar. Kalpana angrily confronts the MLA, who cunningly kills her. He also kills Babu Antony and his son. Before she died, she vowed to kill Shankar, his wife, and his henchmen. The bodies are then buried in Kalpana's own ground. The exorcist sympathizes with her, but remains duty-bound and traps her. After hearing her story, Raghava is touched; risking the danger, he allows Kalpana to possess him once again. Raghava/Kalpana confronts the MLA, and disposes of his henchmen gruesomely. The MLA seeks refuge in a
Narasimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...
temple which Kalpana is forbidden from; but she asks the deity for justice and manages to chase him inside the temple. The three spirits combined kill the MLA. A few years later, Raghava has constructed the hospital for Geetha as per Kalpana's wishes. The movie ends with Priya shouting "devva" (ghost in Kannada) and a terrified Raghava sitting on her hip.


Cast

*
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...
as Raghava aka Kalpana (possessed by Sai Kumar) *
Lakshmi Rai Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). Al ...
as Priya * Saikumar as Kalpana * Shruti as Jaanki *
Umashree Umashree (born 10 May 1957) is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her portrayal of film roles spoken in the Kannada language (over 400), particularly comic roles. She received National Film Award for Best Actress for her role a ...
as Raghava's mother * Satyajit as Muslim exorcist * Shobraj as MLA Shankar *
Babu Antony Babu Antony (born 22 February 1966) is an Indian-American actor and martial artist, who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in several Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Sinhalese, Hindi and English films. He started his career doing a ...
as Akbar Bhai *
Achyuth Kumar Achyuth Kumar is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. Born in the town of Belur, in the district of Hassan and brought up in Tiptur. He graduated in bachelor of commerce from the Kalpatharu First Grade College, which was ...
as Jaanki's husband *
Om Prakash Rao Om Prakash Rao is an Indian film director, screenwriter, film producer and actor who primarily works in Kannada film industry. He has, till date, directed about 47 films in Kannada language. Career Om Prakash Rao's successful films such as Lo ...
as fake priest 1 *
Bullet Prakash Bullet Prakash (2 April 1976 – 6 April 2020) was an Indian actor who worked in Kannada cinema. Known for portraying comic roles, Prakash appeared in over 325 films. He earned the nickname "Bullet" because he used to ride the motorbike, Roya ...
as fake priest 2


Production

The film was launched on 14 December at the Kanteerava Studios in
Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
. 95% of the filming occurred in
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, similar to the original version but some portions were significantly shot in and around
Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...
. Upendra brought his family, as it was his wedding anniversary. He and his wife, actress
Priyanka Upendra Priyanka Upendra (née Trivedi) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada Language films. Early life Priyanka was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Her mother is from West Bengal and father from Uttar Pradesh. She spent ten yea ...
, exchanged garlands in front of hundreds of fans and film industry dignitaries.
Lakshmi Rai Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). Al ...
, the female lead in the original film, played in the same role opposite Upendra in this film. Sai Kumar was cast to play a special role in the film which was played by actor
Sarath Kumar Sarathkumar Ramanathan (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker, and singer. He has acted in more than 130 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards S ...
in the original.
Umashri Umashree (born 10 May 1957) is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her portrayal of film roles spoken in the Kannada language (over 400), particularly comic roles. She received National Film Award for Best Actress for her role a ...
, Shruti and Achyut Kumar were also cast in supporting roles in the movie. Actor Shobhraj plays the main villain, which was originally portrayed by Devan in Tamil Version.


Songs

The music for the film was composed by
V. Harikrishna V. Harikrishna (born 5 November 1974) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, playback singer and film producer. He has mainly scored music for Kannada films. After his stint as a programmer and assistant musician, Harikrishna made h ...
. All the tunes from the original Tamil film were retained.


Reception


Critical response

Kalpana opened to generally favorable reviews from the critics. The performances of Kumar and Upendra were critically acclaimed. A critic from ''
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 ...
'' scored the film at 3 out of 5 stars and says "Full marks to Saikumar for his excellent portrayal of a Mangalamukhi. Upendra shines as a man possessed. But Umashri’s sole is completely spoilt by overacting and shouting. Shruthi is sober. Harikrishna’s music fails to impress. Cinematography by KS Selvaraj is impressive". A critic from  Bangalore Mirror wrote  "The opportunity comes mostly in a couple of songs. Music composer V Harikrishna seems to be burdened with composing for a remake. The tunes are good enough for the film. The film is a complete entertainer and a full value for money. Unfortunately, you cannot take kids to this one". Y Maheswara Reddy from 
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 Print ...
wrote "Meanwhile, Raghava starts behaving like a girl and becomes  aggressive. At this juncture the story takes a twist bringing Kalpana into the picture. Who is Kalpana? Simply put, this is an interesting movie — go watch it for some fun!". A critic from 
News18 India News18 India is an Indian Media television channel owned by Network 18. It was launched in 2005 as Channel 7 by Jagran Prakashan Limited and acquired in 2006 by Network 18 and rebranded IBN7. In 2016 it took its current name. In 2013, News ...
wrote "Ramnarayan is known for this kind of films- God and Ghost battle with human beings. He continues in the same speed and zeal in 'Kalpana'". B S Srivani from 
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 Print ...
wrote "Background score is impressive, but the songs, coming from Harikrishna, are disappointing.Kalpana is for Uppi’s fans and for those who keep hiding their fears under jokes". Srikanth Srinivasa from 
Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
scored the film at 3 out of 5 stars and says "Lakshmi Rai has limited scope. Saikumar, who enacts the part of a transgender, surprises with his superb body language and dialogue delivery. The music by Harikrishna is adequate. If you like horror films you may like this". A critic from 
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new o ...
wrote "The editing could have been sharper. Hari Krishna, who has set a benchmark with his music compositions in recent films, has however, gone a step below". A critic from 
Zee News Zee News is an Indian Hindi-language news channel owned by Subhash Chandra's Essel Group. It launched on 27 August 1999 and is the flagship channel of the Zee Media Corporation. The channel has been involved in several controversies and ha ...
wrote "However, the negative part of the film is that post interval, until the entry of Sai Kumars character, the film moves at a slow pace. Lakshmi Rai has little opportunity in the film and is just seen in song sequences and a few not-so-well written sequences. If you look in totality, "Kalpana" is one thoroughly enjoyable film".


Box office

''Kalpana'' had a good opening at the box office across
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 ...
. The film opened to 90% occupancy at single screens and around 70% occupancy at multiplexes. The film grossed 4 crore during its opening weekend and collected a net share of 2.5 crore, thus surpassing the openings of
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...
's previous film '' Godfather'', which had grossed 3 crore during its opening weekend. The film grossed more than 11 crore at the box office and completed 50 days of run in 25 centres across Karnataka. ''Kalpana'' was the sixth highest grossing Kannada film of 2012.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalpana (film) 2010s Kannada-language films Kannada remakes of Tamil films 2012 films 2012 comedy horror films Transgender-related films LGBT-related comedy horror films Films directed by Rama Narayanan Indian horror film remakes Indian LGBT-related films 2012 LGBT-related films Indian comedy horror films