Sparsha (film)

Sparsha (English: The Touch) is a 1999 Indian Kannada romantic film written and directed by Sunil Kumar Desai. It stars Sudeep, Rekha and Sudha Rani in lead roles. Naveen Mayur, Sihi Kahi Chandru, Kashi, Umashree and Vanishree feature in supporting roles.

This article is about the 1999 Indian Kannada film. For the 1980 Indian Hindi film, see Sparsh (film).

Sparsha
Film VCD cover
Directed bySunil Kumar Desai
Produced bySarovar Sanjeev Rao
Screenplay bySunil Kumar Desai
Story bySunil Kumar Desai
StarringSudeep
Rekha
Sudha Rani
Naveen Mayur
Music byHamsalekha
CinematographyH. C. Venugopal
Edited byR. Janardhan
Production
company
Sarovar Productions
Release date
  • 23 July 1999 (1999-07-23)
Running time
154 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Budgetest. ₹2 crore[1]

Upon theatrical release on 23 July 1999, the film opened to widespread positive response from critics and filmgoers. However, the screening had to be stopped after bandh was called for in most towns and cities and towns of Karnataka following the abduction of Rajkumar, the Kannada actor, in July 2000, thereby affecting the film's collections.[1] After normality resumed, the film completed a 100-day run in theatres.[2]

Plot

Sudeep (Sudeep) is a film actor and model. He falls in love with Suma (Rekha) during a film shoot in Ooty. They meet each other, share their views and Sudeep meets with Suma's family. Some incidents educate Sudeep that those who make mistakes they themselves correct and apologise next, when Sudeep rushing to see off his lover at the Ooty railway station, accidentally knocks an unknown young woman, Radha (Sudha Rani), into the path of a moving train. Radha does not see who knocked her over, but only catches a glimpse of the jacket he wears. The accident causes her to lose a leg, as well as the love of her fiancé. Sudeep rushes to the accident spot and takes her to the hospital. He takes care of her, but restrains from telling both Radha and Suma that he was responsible for the accident. To avoid the consequences, Sudeep offer to marry Radha. Suma is hurt by his sudden change of heart, but accepts his decision. Radha accepts his offer too, but continues to hunt for the man who knocked her over. But yet, how the truths unfold forms the rest of the story.

Cast

Production

Prior to Sparsha, Sudeep had appeared in minor roles in Thayavva (1997) and Prathyartha (1999). The director of the latter film, Sunil Kumar Desai, was roped to direct Sparsha by Sudeep's father Sarovar Sanjeev, who produced the film under the banner Sarovar Productions. Filming which began in early 2000 had to be stopped a few days into, after Sudeep fell ill from typhoid. He "lost weight" and "looked haggard" before the shooting resumed. Filming took place for a period of 99 days in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Darjeeling, Ooty, Kushalnagar and Chikmagalur.[2]

Soundtrack
Sparsha
Soundtrack album by
Hamsalekha
Released2000
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length43:41
LabelAkash Audio
External audio
Official Audio Jukebox on YouTube

Hamsalekha scored for the film and its soundtracks, also penning lyrics for the soundtrack with Shyamsundar Kulkarni, M N Vyasa Rao, Itagi Eeranna, Doddarange Gowda and R. N. Jayagopal. The album consists of eight tracks and was distributed in the market by Akash Audio.[3]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Managala Sarigama Prema"Shyamsundar KulkarniRajesh Krishnan, Archana Udupa6:07
2."Ivale Avalu"M N Vyasa RaoHariharan5:17
3."Chandakintha Chanda"Itagi EerannaSonu Nigam 5:53
4."Oho Chenne"HamsalekhaHariharan, K. S. Chithra5:10
5."Paduvana Dikkinaage"Doddarange GowdaC. Ashwath, B. Jayashree5:03
6."Sangathi Heegeke"R. N. JayagopalRajesh Krishnan, K. S. Chithra5:02
7."Bareyada Mounada Kavithe"R. N. JayagopalSonu Nigam , Kavita Krishnamurthy, Archana Udupa5:29
8."Kanasali Kaaduva Hudugi"Doddarange GowdaSonu Nigam, Kavita Krishnamurthy5:40
Total length:43:41

Release and response

The film was released theatrically on 23 July 2000. After a run in Karnataka, it was 'specially' screened in parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.[1] Between 2001 and 2002, it was screened in various parts of the US including Cleveland, Detroit, Washington DC, Chicago, Fremont, California and Dallas.[4]

The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics upon release. M. D. Riti reviewed the film for Rediff.com and wrote, "Desai relies largely on music to carry this film through. But the music is, of course, of a very different genre: it is soft, melodious and full of Kannada shayari." Despite rating the film well, she felt that it lacked the "special appeal that Desai's earlier films, Beladingala Baale and Nishkarsha had". She further wrote, "Where Sparsha seems to fall short is in the acting skills of its lead pair. Rekha comes across as rather wooden, while Sudeep certainly has the chocolate box good looks that his role calls for, but fails to deliver any powerful histrionics." Adding to it, she rated the music highly before concluding writing, " If only the stars had had more charisma or talent, this film by Desai might have made him even better remembered than his past ventures."[5] The reviewer for Screen felt that it was a "touching, gripping, captivating and worth-watching film only for the last half an hour." They added Desai's "touch of dexterity is ... missing in some places. His usual verve and agility is not found in this film." They called the music "pleasant to the ears with three songs scored melodiously", editing "jerky" and that the "cinematography by Venu is the high point of the film". Performances of the leading pair, Sudeep and Rekha, were commended in that they "show promise".[6]

Awards and nominations
2000–01 Karnataka State Film Awards
48th Filmfare Awards South[7]
Film Fan's Association Awards – Kannada[8][9]
Cinema Express Awards
2001 Asianet Kaveri Film Awards[11]
2000 Videocon–Suprabhata Awards[12]
  • Best Film
  • Best Director — Sunil Kumar Desai
  • Best Newcomer Actor — Sudeep
  • Best Newcomer Actress — Rekha
  • Best Cinematographer — H. C. Venugopal
  • Best Editor — R. Janardhan
The Karnataka Welfare Association For Blind

References
  1. "Sparsha Is Slipping Out Of Hands - Sanjeev". chitraloka.com. 29 December 2000. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  2. "Kannada film brings singing stars together". chirag-entertainers.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2002. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  3. "Sparsha (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  4. ""SPARSHA" the incomparable film with a galore of Awards". chirag-entertainers.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2002. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  5. M. D. Riti (24 July 2000). "Not upto the mark!". rediff.com. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  6. "Regional Reviews: Sparsha (The Touch)". Screen. 11 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  7. "48th South-Indian Filmfare Awards". events.fullhyderabad.com.
  8. "Tara bags best actress award". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2 May 2001.
  9. "The ones who made a mark". hindu.com. 6 July 2001.
  10. "Meena wins award for best actress". rediff.com. 15 October 2001.
  11. "Lifetime Achievement award for Rajkumar". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 14 May 2001.
  12. "KANNADA MOVIE BACK IN DETROIT". pampakannadakoota.org. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  13. "Kiccha Sudeep Receiving Award from Karnataka Welfare Association From blind for the movie #Sparsha". twitter.com.
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