Aaptamitra
Encyclopedia
Apthamitra is a 2004 Kannada movie starring Vishnuvardhan, Ramesh Arvind, Soundarya
and Avinash
. This was actress Soundarya's last film. This was inspired from a Malayalam movie Manichitrathazhu
. It was a box-office hit and ran successfully for a year. It was followed by its sequel, Aptharakshaka. Apthamitra was later remade in Tamil
as Chandramukhi
starring Rajinikanth
) are married couple who recently move into Mysore to buy an ancient palace, against the wishes of his uncles and elders (Dwarakish & Pramila Joshai) of the family. His uncle agrees to reside with them with his two daughters Vani and Rani, on one condition that the room on the first floor which is locked and sealed should not be visited by anyone in the family. They have their care-taker Rangajja (Shivaram) who lives in the outhouse with his grand-daughter Prema (Prema
).
During their stay in the house they come to know that this palace earlier belonged to Raja Vijaya Rajendra Bahaddur. He had a court dancer named Nagavalli from Andhra Pradesh, whom he was in love with. But Nagavalli had an illicit affair with a fellow dancer named Ramanatha, who used to reside in a house just behind the palace. When the Raja came to know of their affair on an Durgashtami day, he be-headed Dancer Ramanatha and burned Nagavalli alive. Nagavalli vowed at the time of her death that she would seek revenge of her death from the Raja by burning him alive on very same Durgashtami day, as like her.
Strange things start to happen in the palace and everyone suspect Prema, who is always found at the place of the incident. So, Ramesh calls in his psychiatrist friend Vijay (Vishnuvardhan) to help him clear of the misconceptions regarding the palace and its history. Ramesh's uncle (Satyajit
) is not happy with the way Vijay functions and is always very suspectfull of him. Vani, Ramesh's cousin is in love with a orphan-dance teacher who incidentally resides in the same house behind the palace. Vijay comes to know of this and tells Ramesh's uncle about this and the alliance is approved by all in the family and their marriage is fixed.
When the whole family is out of town to visit Mahadev, to decide his wedding with Vani, Ganga with help from Prema opens the room in the first floor with the key given by Prema. While she tries to enter the room prema comes running to tell not to open the door as the ket-maker who made the key had died. So Ganga returns without opening the door.
During this time there are attempts to kill Ramesh by someone unknown, which every time is foiled by Vijay. Even Vani is attacked once by someone unknown. So Ramesh's uncle calls upon a Acharya Ramachandra Shastri (Avinash
) to perform some Shanti pooja upon the palace. Though Ramesh is not interested in all these proceedings he agrees on advice of Vijay.
On the eve of Engagement ceremony of Mahadev and Vani, Ganga accuses Mahadev of trying to molest her - which is refused by both Mahdev and Vijay. Upon hearing this Ramesh gets angry upon Vijay and shouts at him to get out of his house. Acharya stops the family from doing so and asks Vijay to tell them the mystery behind the strange incidents.
Vijay reveals to everyone that Ganga is behind all the strange incidents and she only tried to kill Ramesh and Vani. Ganga who visited the first floor room was enamoured by Nagavalli and her diary. Since Ganga suffered from Multiple personality disorder or Split personality disorder since her childhood, the mystery behind Nagavalli's story compelled her to assume herself as Nagavalli, compelling the spirit of Nagavalli to enter her body. She(Nagavalli inside Ganga) now intends to kill Vijay as he had posed in front of her as Raja Vijaya Rajendra Bahaddur, on the coming Durgashtami day as vowed by Nagavalli while dying. Vijay explains to everyone that since Nagavalli inside Ganga thinks that Mahadev is only Ramanatha, she is trying to kill Ramesh. She also tries to kill Vani who is marrying Mahadev and intends to woo Mahadev so to break the marriage she enacts the molestation drama against him.
Vijay informs Ramesh that he intends to cure Ganga by using new technique with the help from Acharya to drive out the spirit. He also asks Mahadev to assist him in the process. Vijay along with Ramesh and Mahadev, catch Ganga while Nagavalli has possessed her and sends Mahadev to get her into the room where pooja is being performed by Swamiji. There Vijay poses as Raja Vijay Rajendra Bahaddur and sets him ablaze in front of Ganga/Nagavalli now. But the Swamiji creates huge smoke in front of Nagavalli, simultaneously Vijay is replaced by a look-alike doll. This is not seen by Ganga/Nagavalli and she rejoices by thinking that she set the Raja ablaze and killed him. At this time the Acharya exorcises the demon out of Ganga. Vijay then brings Ganga back from her hypnotised state and she feels relaxed in her mind and heart. Both Ramesh and Ganga thank him for the same, while Vijay says he has to thank Prema who had agreed to act in front of everybodyto save Ganga.
Vijay thanks Prema and asks her to marry him.
The film, won five Filmfare Awards
that includes:
, who rendered the hit of the decade in Kannada filmdom with Apthamithra starring Vishnuvardhan, also directed the Telugu remake titled Nagavalli
in 2010.
The movie which features Soundarya, Vishnuvardhana and Ramesh Aravind was the biggest grosser in Kannada filmdom. After a long gap, Vasu is all set to come out with a sequel for the movie titltes Aptharakshaka - with Vishnuvardhan essaying the title role oh psychiatrist Dr Vijay again, along with Bhavana, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy
, Sandhya
and Vimala Raman
.
Apthamithra went on to become a hit in Karnataka and the movie collected huge revenues besides completing a silver jubilee run. Vasu is keen to repeat the magic with Vishnuvardhan once again and if the sequel sees huge success there will be hope of a Tamil remake Chandramukhi 2
Soundarya
Soundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
and Avinash
Avinash
Avinash is an Indian actor who stars predominantly in South Indian language films and notably in the Kannada and Tamil film industries. Known for his authentic portrayal of complex characters and versatility, Avinash is one of the most sought after actors in the supporting category...
. This was actress Soundarya's last film. This was inspired from a Malayalam movie Manichitrathazhu
Manichitrathazhu
Manichitrathazhu is a 1993 Malayalam psychological thriller-horror-musical film written by Madhu Muttam, directed by Fazil, and produced by Appachan. The film was an unusual theme in Malayalam cinema but proceeded to become a high grosser at the box-office...
. It was a box-office hit and ran successfully for a year. It was followed by its sequel, Aptharakshaka. Apthamitra was later remade in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
as Chandramukhi
Chandramukhi
Chandramukhi is a 2005 Indian horror, comedy and drama film directed by P. Vasu and produced by Ramkumar Ganesan. With a few deviations, it is a remake of Vasu's 2004 Kannada film Apthamitra, which was in-turn a remake of the 1993 Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu...
starring Rajinikanth
Story
Ramesh (Ramesh Arvind) and Ganga (SoundaryaSoundarya
Soundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
) are married couple who recently move into Mysore to buy an ancient palace, against the wishes of his uncles and elders (Dwarakish & Pramila Joshai) of the family. His uncle agrees to reside with them with his two daughters Vani and Rani, on one condition that the room on the first floor which is locked and sealed should not be visited by anyone in the family. They have their care-taker Rangajja (Shivaram) who lives in the outhouse with his grand-daughter Prema (Prema
Prema (actress)
Prema is an actress in the Kannada film industry. She has starred opposite Mohanlal, Shivrajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ravichandran, Upendra, Saikumar,and Ramesh Aravind.- Early life :...
).
During their stay in the house they come to know that this palace earlier belonged to Raja Vijaya Rajendra Bahaddur. He had a court dancer named Nagavalli from Andhra Pradesh, whom he was in love with. But Nagavalli had an illicit affair with a fellow dancer named Ramanatha, who used to reside in a house just behind the palace. When the Raja came to know of their affair on an Durgashtami day, he be-headed Dancer Ramanatha and burned Nagavalli alive. Nagavalli vowed at the time of her death that she would seek revenge of her death from the Raja by burning him alive on very same Durgashtami day, as like her.
Strange things start to happen in the palace and everyone suspect Prema, who is always found at the place of the incident. So, Ramesh calls in his psychiatrist friend Vijay (Vishnuvardhan) to help him clear of the misconceptions regarding the palace and its history. Ramesh's uncle (Satyajit
Satyajit
Satyajit is a common Indian name. The word is a compound of the words for truthful , and winner . Some noted personalities with the name Satyajit are:*Satyajit Ray - noted filmmaker.*Satyajit Padhye - ventriloquist and TV personality....
) is not happy with the way Vijay functions and is always very suspectfull of him. Vani, Ramesh's cousin is in love with a orphan-dance teacher who incidentally resides in the same house behind the palace. Vijay comes to know of this and tells Ramesh's uncle about this and the alliance is approved by all in the family and their marriage is fixed.
When the whole family is out of town to visit Mahadev, to decide his wedding with Vani, Ganga with help from Prema opens the room in the first floor with the key given by Prema. While she tries to enter the room prema comes running to tell not to open the door as the ket-maker who made the key had died. So Ganga returns without opening the door.
During this time there are attempts to kill Ramesh by someone unknown, which every time is foiled by Vijay. Even Vani is attacked once by someone unknown. So Ramesh's uncle calls upon a Acharya Ramachandra Shastri (Avinash
Avinash
Avinash is an Indian actor who stars predominantly in South Indian language films and notably in the Kannada and Tamil film industries. Known for his authentic portrayal of complex characters and versatility, Avinash is one of the most sought after actors in the supporting category...
) to perform some Shanti pooja upon the palace. Though Ramesh is not interested in all these proceedings he agrees on advice of Vijay.
On the eve of Engagement ceremony of Mahadev and Vani, Ganga accuses Mahadev of trying to molest her - which is refused by both Mahdev and Vijay. Upon hearing this Ramesh gets angry upon Vijay and shouts at him to get out of his house. Acharya stops the family from doing so and asks Vijay to tell them the mystery behind the strange incidents.
Vijay reveals to everyone that Ganga is behind all the strange incidents and she only tried to kill Ramesh and Vani. Ganga who visited the first floor room was enamoured by Nagavalli and her diary. Since Ganga suffered from Multiple personality disorder or Split personality disorder since her childhood, the mystery behind Nagavalli's story compelled her to assume herself as Nagavalli, compelling the spirit of Nagavalli to enter her body. She(Nagavalli inside Ganga) now intends to kill Vijay as he had posed in front of her as Raja Vijaya Rajendra Bahaddur, on the coming Durgashtami day as vowed by Nagavalli while dying. Vijay explains to everyone that since Nagavalli inside Ganga thinks that Mahadev is only Ramanatha, she is trying to kill Ramesh. She also tries to kill Vani who is marrying Mahadev and intends to woo Mahadev so to break the marriage she enacts the molestation drama against him.
Vijay informs Ramesh that he intends to cure Ganga by using new technique with the help from Acharya to drive out the spirit. He also asks Mahadev to assist him in the process. Vijay along with Ramesh and Mahadev, catch Ganga while Nagavalli has possessed her and sends Mahadev to get her into the room where pooja is being performed by Swamiji. There Vijay poses as Raja Vijay Rajendra Bahaddur and sets him ablaze in front of Ganga/Nagavalli now. But the Swamiji creates huge smoke in front of Nagavalli, simultaneously Vijay is replaced by a look-alike doll. This is not seen by Ganga/Nagavalli and she rejoices by thinking that she set the Raja ablaze and killed him. At this time the Acharya exorcises the demon out of Ganga. Vijay then brings Ganga back from her hypnotised state and she feels relaxed in her mind and heart. Both Ramesh and Ganga thank him for the same, while Vijay says he has to thank Prema who had agreed to act in front of everybodyto save Ganga.
Vijay thanks Prema and asks her to marry him.
Box-Office performance
- The film collected Rs 12 crores,which was an all-time record for Kannada films at that time.
- This movie has been dubbed and remade into several Indian languages too.
Awards
Filmfare AwardsFilmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
The film, won five Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
that includes:
- Best Film: Apthamitra
- Best DirectorFilmfare Award for Best Director (Kannada)The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films. The award was first given in 1972....
: P. VasuP. VasuP. Vasu is an Indian film director, writer, and actor who works in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu films and a few Malayalam films as well. In a career spanning three decades, Vasu has directed over 50 films.-Personal life:... - Best Actor: Vishnuvardhan
- Best Actress: SoundaryaSoundaryaSoundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
- Best Music Director: GurukiranGurukiranGurukiran or Gurukiran Shetty is a noted music director of the Kannada film industry in India. He started his career as a music director of the Kannada movie "A", directed and acted by Upendra. His music for the movie Upendra further consolidated his position in Kannada movie industry. He is a...
Sequel
P. VasuP. Vasu
P. Vasu is an Indian film director, writer, and actor who works in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu films and a few Malayalam films as well. In a career spanning three decades, Vasu has directed over 50 films.-Personal life:...
, who rendered the hit of the decade in Kannada filmdom with Apthamithra starring Vishnuvardhan, also directed the Telugu remake titled Nagavalli
Nagavalli (film)
Nagavalli is a 2010 Telugu horror and drama film directed by P. Vasu and produced by Bellamkonda Suresh. It is a remake of the Kannada movie Aptharakshaka and a sequel to the 2005 Tamil film Chandramukhi, also directed by Vasu, which was dubbed and released in Telugu as well.The film Nagavalli...
in 2010.
The movie which features Soundarya, Vishnuvardhana and Ramesh Aravind was the biggest grosser in Kannada filmdom. After a long gap, Vasu is all set to come out with a sequel for the movie titltes Aptharakshaka - with Vishnuvardhan essaying the title role oh psychiatrist Dr Vijay again, along with Bhavana, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy
Lakshmi Gopalaswamy
Lakshmi Gopalaswamy is a South Indian film actress and a classical dancer, qualified in Bharatanatyam. She has acted in several Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada films. Her debut Malayalam film Arayannangalude Veedu alongside Mammootty won her the Kerala State Film Award for the best supporting actress...
, Sandhya
Sandhya (actress)
Revathi , known by her stage name Sandhya, is an Indian film actress who acts primarily in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She made her debut as an actress in the 2004 Tamil film Kaadhal , her performance in which earned her a Filmfare Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award...
and Vimala Raman
Vimala Raman
Vimala Raman is an Indian film actress, model and a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She made her acting debut in the 2006 Tamil film Poi and went on to appear primarily in Malayalam and Telugu films.-Early life:...
.
Apthamithra went on to become a hit in Karnataka and the movie collected huge revenues besides completing a silver jubilee run. Vasu is keen to repeat the magic with Vishnuvardhan once again and if the sequel sees huge success there will be hope of a Tamil remake Chandramukhi 2