Remade from the Tamil hit, Jigarthanda's Kannada version does brisk box office

The Kannada film Jigarthanda — a remake of Karthik Subbaraj’s Tamil classic by the same name — which released on Friday, 24 June, has had a good box office opening. Produced by the popular Kannada star Sudeep under his banner Kichcha Creations, in association with SRV Productions, Jigarthanda stars Raahul, Ravi Shankar, Chikkanna, Sadhu Kokila and Samyukta Hornad and is directed by Shivaganesh. [caption id=“attachment_2855584” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Still from ‘Jigarthanda’ (Kannada)[/caption] Jigarthanda has not only been getting rave reviews but has also opened well in Karnataka especially in Bengaluru multiplexes and has won over young audiences. The Bangalore Mirror’s Shyam Prasad in his review says: “The drink may not be popular in Karnataka, but the Kannada remake of the Tamil film by the same name is some solace. With enough twists and turns and a comical take on the film industry and lives of gangsters, it is bang for the buck. If getting entertained is your idea, Jigarthanda will be a delight.” The original Jigarthanda (2014) in Tamil helmed by new age director Karthik Subbaraj, was a hit and trendsetter of sorts. Set in Madurai, the film was named after its famous drink and tells the story of an aspiring filmmaker who is forced by his producer to make a gangster film. The filmmaker comes to Madurai to befriend a local gangster, who has his own idea about how the film should be made. Director Shivaganesh who remade Jigarthanda in Kannada, made some nativity changes to the original script, to suit the taste of the local audiences. But the director told a local TV channel he ensured the soul of the film remains intact. It is the norm for mass commercial movies from Tamil to be remade in Kannada. However, in an interview to Times of India, Sudeep said: “When I watch a film, I don’t watch it with the intention of remaking it. I just see whether I like it or not. This one (Jigarthanda) I liked, and since we were looking for a film for Rahul, I thought ‘Why not take up a beautiful script like this one?’ The added advantage was that we have a powerhouse talent like Ravi Shankar here, who can take the character he plays to an all-new level.”