''Magic Ajji'' ( ''Magic Grandma'') is a 2005 Indian Kannada language fantasy film directed by Dinesh Baboo. 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 Kanakangi (pronounced kanakāngi, meaning ''the golden bodied one'') is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 1st ''Melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is ...

''. ''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 re ...

as Queen Rajeshwari Devi, the grandmother and ghost, Master Tejas (Thejas Kesari) as grandson Arjun, and

Sudha Rani Jayashree, known by her screen name Sudha Rani, is an Indian actress, voice artist and a former model. She has primarily worked in Kannada films.she also acted in a few Telugu, Tulu and Malayalam films. At the age of three, Rani was chosen as ...

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,

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 in ...

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 re ...

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 p ...

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 cultural ...

(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 *

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 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 Chandra ( sa, च� ...

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

as Venkatachalayya's subordinate *

Karibasavaiah Karibasavaiah (1959 – 3 February 2012) was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada cinema and a theatre personality. He has acted in over 120 films. He died on 3 February 2012 after a road traffic accident in Bangalore. He made his debut ...

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 Printer ...

'', 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