''Ranaranga'' () is a 1988 Indian
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
-language
action film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
directed by
V. Somashekhar and written by N. T. Jayarama Reddy. The film stars
Shiva Rajkumar
Dr.Shiva Rajkumar (born Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy; 12 July 1962) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Ka ...
,
Sudharani and
Tara. Produced by Shivarajkumar's mother,
Parvathamma Rajkumar under the banner of Vaishnavi Movies, the film's musical score was by
Hamsalekha making this his first collaboration with Shivarajkumar of the several future successful films.
This is Shiva Rajkumar's first action movie and the only movie in which V. Somashekhar directed him.
Dr. Rajkumar
Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the his ...
sung a background song for his son which is considered as one of his favourite songs.
Plot
After serving 12 years in a
juvenile home, Anand goes to meet his grandfather, Shanthamurthy who has gone to attend a felicitation ceremony. While travelling to the place, Anand witnesses a young girl
jump to death in order to protect herself from a gang of four savages. While chasing them, he finds his terribly injured grandfather, who was thrashed by them while trying to save that girl. He takes his grandfather to the nearby
nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...
where the doctor refuses to treat him since it is a criminal case and instead asks him to consult a government hospital. With no time to spare, he requests the doctor to drop them there. When the latter refuses, Anand forcefully takes the car's key from him. After admitting his grandfather, he travels to the nearby
blood bank
A blood bank is a center where blood gathered as a result of blood donation is stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a department of a hospital usually within a clinical pathology labora ...
. En route to the hospital, he is intercepted by police officers, who arrest Anand for stealing the car only for him to hold the Inspector at point blank where he forces him to take him to the hospital to hand over the bottles containing the required blood. He is then arrested and subsequently produced to the court, where he convinces the judge of his predicament and gets freed.
Anand meets Ramnath, a lawyer, who offers him a lift to the hospital. Upon reaching the hospital, he learns that his grandfather has died and performs the last rites. A dejected Anand is taken under his wing by Ramnath, who offers to help him practice law. Anand is taken to his house where he meets Ramnath's only daughter Bhavana, who happens to have an erratic behaviour. Meanwhile, The gang of savages target Shashikala, a young girl who works as a
receptionist
A receptionist is an Employment, employee taking an office or Business administration, administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting room, waiting area such as a Lobby (room), lobby or front office desk of an organ ...
at a
5 star hotel, since she had rejected their advances. She is saved by Anand who also takes them to the police station. Upon accompanying Shashi to her home, he finds that Shashi is his cousin and reveals the situations that made him a killer to his aunt Kamala. After his father Ranganna, a lorry driver was killed by his Contractor boss Nagaraj and the latter's friends: Basappa, Chandrappa and Mahadevappa to sleep with Anand's mother Saraswati, Driven by vengeance, A 10 year old Anand breaks into Nagaraj's house and stabs him to death. He reveals how he wishes to reunite with his mother and sister about whom only his late grandfather had known about their whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Anand learns that the savages using their influence have freed themselves. He also learns that they are the sons of Nagaraj and his friends, who murdered his father and they had molested Bhavana in the past. He is shocked to know that Nagaraj is still alive and tries to kill him. But is stopped by his daughter Aasha. Nagaraj and his partners tries to kill Anand, but to no avail. One day, after returning from temple Anand meets his mother who gets hit by Aasha's car and from her learns that his infant sister, Usha was killed by Nagraj to transplant her eyes to the blind Aasha. Aasha is disgusted by her father's crimes and seeks forgiveness. Saraswati feels that she has got Usha through Aasha. Anand, who is stopped from slaying his enemies by his mother, Shashi and Aasha gives them an ultimatum to surrender to the police and confess their crimes. When they spurn his statement, Anand abducts their children. In return, Nagaraj and others kidnap Saraswati, Kamala and Shashi and orders for an exchange of hostages at Devaragudda. However, Bhavana finds the location of the savages and tries to kill them. Anand refrains Bhavana from killing them and they take them to Devaragudda. The children reaches the safe zone. Anand and his family are attacked. Anand manages to defeat them and Bhavana kills the savages, thereby getting her revenge. Mahadevayya and Basappa are killed while Chandrappa and Nagraj are arrested by the police summoned by Ramnath. They apologise to Anand and mentions how bad upbringing had caused their children to become such obnoxious brutes and face such tragic deaths. Anand reunites with his family.
Cast
Soundtrack
The music of the film was composed and lyrics were written by
Hamsalekha. The soundtrack album comprises 7 tracks. Actor
Rajkumar recorded the song "Jagave Ondu Ranaranga".
Shivarajkumar
Dr.Shiva Rajkumar (born Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy; 12 July 1962) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Ka ...
debuted as a playback singer with the song "O Meghave".
The song "O Meghave" was used by Hamsalekha in the same year (1988) for the Tamil movie ''
Kodi Parakkuthu
''Kodi Parakkuthu'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language action film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja. The film starred Rajinikanth, who worked with Bharathiraja nearly a decade after their last film ''16 Vayathinile'' (1977). It ...
'' as "Oh Kadhal Ennai" which also used the tune of another song in between ("Mussanjeli Nammuralli").
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranaranga
1988 films
1980s Kannada-language films
1980s Indian films
Indian action films
Films scored by Hamsalekha
1988 action films
Films directed by V. Somashekhar