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Topiwala
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Wikipedia article
'Topiwala' is a 2013 Kannada political satire film starring Upendra and Bhavana in the lead roles. The film was written by Upendra and directed by M. G. Srinivas. Kanakapura Sreenivas and K. P. Srikanth jointly produced this venture under R.S. Productions banner. V. Harikrishna composed the music.
The film was released on 15 March 2013 in 150 Karnataka theaters and grossed on its opening weekend and more than in its first week. The film was dubbed and released in Telugu as 'Swiss Bank Ki Daaredi'.
Premise
Basak, who wants to steal the money in Swiss bank which was black money of corrupted politicians. He needs a secret code for that, which is with a mentally retarded man, who names himself as 'Mr.India' but has lost his memory due to the accident. How does Basak recover the code and whether he will be successful in developing the country's economy with the black money forms the crux of the plot.
Cast
* Upendra as Basak
* Bhavana as Suman Bedi
* Rangayana Raghu as Ramanayana Raghu
* Maithreyi as Malashri
* P. Ravi Shankar as Sarkar
* Vijanath Biradar as Mr India
* Raju Talikote
* Achyuth Kumar as Lokayuktha Loki
* Mithra
* Mukti Mohan as an Item number
Production
Casting
'Topiwala' went on floors in January 2012. The script and screenplay of the film were written by Upendra and radio jockey M. G. Srinivas was selected to direct the film. Actress Bhavana of 'Jackie' fame was cast in the female lead. The film was produced by Kanakapura Sreenivas, who produced Upendra's 'Omkara' in 2004. The film also stars debutante actress Maithreyi, Rangayana Raghu, and Raju Talikote in supporting roles while Ravishankar plays the antagonist. Vijanath Biradar has a surprise cameo. Mukti Mohan, participant of Star One's dance reality show Zara Nachke Dikha, was brought in for an item song.Promotions
At the first press meet of the film, held in December 2012, producer Kanakapura Srinivas said that a younger team was brought in for the film to try to generate fresh thoughts in presentation. "Now, we have 'Topiwala' with a young team which is sure to create new bench marks", said Sreenivas. Upendra described the film as a political satire based on current affairs and corruption. "The film is based on incidents that happen in contemporary times. Political incidents are part of the script. It is a humorous commentary on every distortion that we see in our society", said Upendra.Reception
Critical response
Srikanth Srinivasa Rediff.com scored the film at 2 out of 5 stars and says "Topiwaalais worth a one-time watch only for Upendras fans. Others may be taking a risk watching it."The Times of India scored the film at 3 out of 5 stars and says "While Upendra manages to do justice to his role, Bhavana is not at all impressive. Raju Talikote bores you with his monotonous dialogues. Mythreyi playing the role of Malashri shines. Except for one song Malli malli, the music by V Harikrishna has nothing much to offer."
Box office
'Topiwala' was released on 15 March 2013 in over 150 theaters in Karnataka. 'Topiwala' opened to strong box office collections on its release day with 90 to 100% occupancy at single screens and around 90% occupancy at multiplexes. The film grossed during its opening weekend and grossed more than in its first week. Upendra and the entire team of 'Topiwala' celebrated a success meet of the movie at the Udayavani Head Office in Bangalore, by launching a campaign against corruption. 'Topiwala' did average business at the box office and grossed around in five weeks earning a net share of at the box office. The film also did an additional business of through satellite and audio rights, therefore recovering its cost of production.Soundtrack
The film's music was composed by V. Harikrishna. Audio CDs were released into the market on 13 February 2013 and an official audio launch was held at the Windsor Manor Hotel in Bangalore on 23 February 2013. All three brothers of the Rajkumar family, Shivrajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, and Puneeth Rajkumar attended the audio launch along with cast and crew of the film and other film personalities.
References
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