Prema Loka Kannada

Starring: V. Ravichandran, Juhi Chawla, Vishnu Vardhan Ambarish, Prabhakar, Srinath Urvasi, N.S.Rao, Leelavati,
Lokesh
Director: V. Ravichandran
Producer: V. Ravichandran
Music Dir: Hamsalekha
Lyricist: Hamsalekha
Singers: S. Janaki, S.P.B., Ramesh, K J Yesudas, Latha Hamsaleka
Distributor: Sri Ganesh
Genre: Musical Love Drama

Dubbed as Paruva Ragam Tamil
Dubbed as Premalokam Telugu
Remake of Grease 2 (loosely)

Synopsis

“Premaloka” (“World of Love” in English) tells of the romance of Ravi (V. Ravichandran), whose parents are too busy to care about him. The one person who does care is his Grandma, Shardama (Leelavati). He falls in love with a new girl, Shashikala (Juhi Chawla) in his college class. Their first meeting is somewhat inauspicious. She is walking along at past a street market. All the stall-holders sing in praise of her beauty. She gets irritated, and picks up an egg from a barrow, and throws it at one of them, but it misses, and hits Ravi, who is coming towards her on roller-skates. He loses balance, crashes into her, and he lands on top of her on the barrow, which crashes into a tree, and they fall off, and roll over together on the grass. For him it is love at first sight.
Their next meeting is when she comes to class. One of the other student trips her up, and she falls forward on to Ravi’s desk, and on to Ravi. Their lips touch – it is their first kiss. A pink rose from her hair falls on Ravi’s desk.
However, Shashi does not want a lover who is merely romantic, she wants a lover who is strong, and when some rowdies tease the girls at night, she wants a lover who is strong, and who will protect her.
Ravi gets his grandma to persuade his father to buy him a motorbike. The following night when the rowdies again tease the girls, Ravi comes on his new motorbike to save them. Shashi falls in love with this hero, who then disappears into the night, not realising, because the crash helmet hides his identity, that this hero is Ravi. Then she drops her book. She bends down to pick it up, but the Bike-rider has come back: he picks it up and hands it to her. Then he invites her for a ride; she sits behind him, but there is the sound of a police siren. He says “Bye. Next time”, and speeds off, leaving her holding his leather jacket.
He tries to woo her as ravi, but she wants nothing to do with him. She is in love with the mystery Bike-Rider. Then after a second occasion when the Bike-Rider has to rescue her, he reveals himself, to her astonishment, as Ravi.
However, all is not plain sailing for them. They spend time together, neglecting their studies. Then the Chief Minister’s daughter, Rajni, falls in love with Ravi, and wants to marry him. Then their parents object. Will the lovers be united against all the odds?
This film had a tremendous response. It was a super hit film, becoming the biggest grosser of that time.

Songs:
1. Banni Nan Kellayare
2. Ee Nimbe Han Anta Hundgi Bantu
3. Nodamma Hudgi, Kelamma Shariygge
4. Chelveyye Oneddu Keltinni
5. Yaar Evanu
6. Boy Friend Bathananta Kaybedha
7. Prema Loka Dinda Tanda Premada
8. Hey Gangu
9. Bath Room Nalli
10. Edu Nanna Ninna Prema Gite Chinna
11. Mosagarrana Rudayshuunyana

Released Year: 1986
Running Time: 148 minutes/Colour/Kannada

Review

This film was a super hit, becoming the biggest grosser of that time. The film has eleven songs, all of which are still popular. It was the first Kannada film with the talented music director and lyricist, Hamsalekha, who has written music for about 300 films, and lyrics for as about as many. It was Juhi Chawla’s second film, and gave her a break in the film industry: and the actor, V. Ravichandran shot to fame in this film as a director.

What can I add to this? It’s a great film, a simple love-story, beautifully told, well directed, and well acted. Over the years, since I first got “hooked” on Bollywood films, I have enjoyed many Hindi films starring Juhi Chawla. It is so nice to see her in this film in which she is acting as a younger girl than I have seen, and showing the innocence of first love.

I was happy to discover that Mumbai is not the only place in India where films are made, and I have enjoyed watching many South Indian films, mainly in Telugu and Kannada – and also some in Tamil and Malayalam. I enjoy comparing different versions of the same story, sometimes by the same director, in the different languages. However, I don’t need to do that here. I guess this film was just to good to try to copy, so they dubbed it in Telugu and Tamil. Do watch the original version!

The songs are great. When we think of the song/dance routines, we think of Music Directors, Lyricists and Choreographers. But I think there was someone extra involved in “Prema Loka” – a Mathematician with a special interest in Geometry. In some of the scenes (in the songs), the dancers are arranged in precise geometrical patterns, concentric circles, squares within squares, a cross, lying on the ground spelling out the word “DISCO” – all this in “Banni Nan Kellayare”. In “Hey Gangu” they ride through what looks like the grounds of a motorbike factory with hundreds of motorbikes grouped in precise patterns. However, Geometry aside, all the songs are lovely, with beautiful music and lyrics, very imaginative choreography, and background settings, all, I think in Karnataka. There is also some very good jazz saxophone playing, at different times in the film, ostensibly by Ravichandran.

There is a beautiful melody which we hear several times in the film, that is used as the fist theme in the song, “Edu Nanna Ninna Prema Gite Chinna”. I am sure I have heard it used subsequently, slightly altered, in a Hindi film song

5 stars

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