''Magic Ajji'' ( ''Magic Grandma'') is a 2005 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 ...

fantasy film directed by

Dinesh Baboo Dinesh Baboo (also known as Dinesh Babu) is an Indian film director, cinematographer, actor and screenwriter who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 40 films, filmed more than 20 fil ...

. It was the first digital film shot in high-definition in Kannada, and the second to be released. The first being Baboo's 2004 '' Kanakambari''. ''Magic Ajji'' stars

Khushbu Sundar Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian actress, politician, film producer and television presenter. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, besides Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is a rec ...

as Queen Rajeshwari Devi, the grandmother and ghost, Master Tejas (Thejas Kesari) as grandson Arjun, and Sudha Rani as Arjun's mother Nirmala Devi. Other characters are played by

Ramesh Bhat Ramesh Bhat is a multiple-award–winning Indian actor. He has worked predominantly in Kannada films and television serials. Early life Ramesh Bhat was born in Kundapur. He completed his primary education at Manki and portrayed national leader ...

Mandya Ramesh Mandya Ramesh is an Indian actor, comedian, director and theatre personality who mainly works in the Kannada films and theatre. He is the founder secretary oNatanaRangashaale, Mysore, one of the eminent theatre training institutions of India. ...

Chi. Guru Dutt Chitnahalli Guru Dutt is an Indian actor and director, primarily concentrating on Kannada and Tamil films. He is the son of Chi. Udaya Shankar. Career He debuted along with Shivrajkumar in the Kannada film '' Anand'' (1986). He was launched i ...

Chitra Shenoy Chitra Shenoy is an Indian actress and producer in South Indian movies and television series. She has acted in more than 600 films in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, and Hindi. She is known as the 'young mother' in the Kannada film ind ...

Shivaram S. Shivaram (28 January 1938 – 4 December 2021), popularly known simply as Shivaram or Shivaramanna, was an Indian actor, producer and director whose Kannada cinema career has spanned six decades. He has played roles including lead hero p ...

, Pruthviraj and Karibasavaiah.

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

plays a cameo. The movie won critical acclaim for its family entertainment quotient, unprecedented use of special effects and animation, and for the performances on

Khushbu Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian actress, politician, film producer and television presenter. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, besides Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is a rec ...

and Thejas Kesari.

Plot

''Magic Ajji'' deals with a

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

under Queen Rajeshwari Devi (

). One of the sons in the family marries a woman belonging to a lower

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

(Sudha Rani), and is disowned by the family. After his premature death, the other family members keep the wife and the son Arjun (Thejas) away from the palace. The queen dies on the night of her 100th birthday. She then comes back in the form of a friendly ghost to help Arjun and his mother claim their rightful place in the palace. This is the tale of an old woman who controls the affairs of a royal palace who is visible to her grandson after her death and helps him in his distress.

Cast

as Queen Rajeshwari Devi, Ajji (voice dubbed by

Girija Lokesh Girija Lokesh is an Indian theatre and film actress and occasional film producer who works in Kannada cinema. She is wife of actor Lokesh, and is the mother of former actress Pooja Lokesh, and actor and television presenter Srujan Lokesh. In ...

) * Thejas Kesari as Arjun * Sudha Rani as Nirmala Devi, Arjun's Mother *

as Queen's grandson-in-law *

as Queen's granddaughter * Chi. Guru Datt as Queen's grandson-in-law *

Pooja Lokesh Pooja Lokesh is an Indian actress in the Tamil and Kannada film industry. Personal life She is the daughter of Lokesh and Girija Lokesh, and sister of Srujan Lokesh. Partial filmography * '' Tiger Galli'' (2017) * ''Magic Ajji'' (2005) * '' C ...

as Queen's granddaughter *

as Queen's grandson-in-law *

Roopa Iyer Roopa Iyer is a film director and actor. Career She played the lead actress in the movie "Daatu". She directed and wrote the movie '' Mukhaputa''. In 2013, she directed & produced her bilingual big budget film ''Chandra'' in Kannada and Tamil. ...

as Queen's granddaughter * Pruthvi Raj as Venkatachalayya, Queen's Advocate *

as Venkatachalayya's subordinate * Karibasavaiah as an exorcist *

as Royal Priest

Production

Reports that

would play the role of a 100-year-old grandmother in ''Magic Ajji'' emerged in July 2003. When asked how she came to accept the role of a grandmother, she stated: "the role matters to me the most. As long as I get a prominent role, I don't mind playing any role including that of a grandmother." She added, "I have everything going for me in this film. I basically play the grandmother, but thanks to the director's imagination running wild, I also transform into a village belle and an air hostess in certain parts of the film. But I am not playing a witch, mind you! Basically, ''Magic Ajji'' will be a fun film for the children."

Reception

P. K. Hariyabbe, the reviewer for ''

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 ...

'', called the film "highly interesting, not just for its simple plot, but for the special effects." They felt "Khushboo as the Ajji, is a revelation" and added, "Master Tejas as Arjuna Krishna does a great job. The supporting cast chips in efficiently to make this film an entertainer."

References

{{Dinesh Baboo 2005 films 2000s Kannada-language films Indian children's fantasy films Films directed by Dinesh Baboo

Plot

Cast

Production

Reception

See also

References