Jogi is a 2005 Indian Kannadaaction film written and directed by Prem. It stars Shiva Rajkumar, Jennifer Kotwal and Arundathi Nag in the lead roles. Jogi was released on 19 August 2005. Record box office collection was reported across Karnataka and the movie completed 100 days in more than 61 theaters. The film was noted for its technical prowess, colloquial Kannada dialogue and lyrics. Its story revolves around an old lady who comes to the city from her village in search of her presumably lost son. It was remade in Telugu as Yogi with Prabhas and Nayantara as well as in Tamil as Parattai Engira Azhagu Sundaram starring Dhanush and Meera Jasmine. Gurukiran scored the music, while director Prem penned lyrics for all the songs. The audio, released by Ashwini Audio, was a critical and commercial success. The film turned out as highest grossing Kannada movie of the year 2005.
Plot
The movie starts with Rajkumar and Parvathamma Rajkumar blessings Shiva Rajkumar, explaining value of birth, prayers of baby for birth and parents in bit song. The film is narrated in a non-linear fashion, with the use of several multiple flashbacks. In the opening scene, a dreaded underworld don is brutally hacked to death by unknown assailants. The police arrive at the crime scene and arrest the unknown assailant revealed as the superstar hero of the movie. The murder is revealed to be the handiwork of a novice, Madesha alias Jogi who works in a roadside tea stall. In the meantime, news about the murder reaches the echelons of the underworld. A rival gang of the slain don bails out Madesha from the lock-up and requests him to be their associate. Madesha rejects their offer and returns to his tea stall. An inquisitive trainee journalist Nivedhitha is eager to know about Madesha and requests an appointment with him. Despite trailing Madesha for several days, she is unable to interview him. Subsequently, she meets an old woman from a remote village, who has come in search of her lost son. After listening to her story, Nivedhitha assures her that she will locate her son. In a flashback, it is revealed that the old lady's son is none other than Madesha. Madesha originally hailed from a village called Singanallur, Kollegal Taluk, South Karnataka and lived with his parents. His father earned his living as a Jogi - a wandering minstrel, who went from one household to another and collected alms in return for singing. Due to the strenuous workload, he falls ill and dies. Enticed by his childhood friend, who flaunts his success, Madesha decides to try his luck in the city. However, in the city, he gets tangled with anti-social elements and ends up in jail. His anxious mother comes to the city in search of him. Jogi is misled and convinced by underworld dons that if he takes up arms, it would be easy for him to find his mother. His mother dies before even seeing her son. Jogi, who does not know this, dances in front of her dead body. When he discovers that he performed the last rites of his mother without realising it, he is completely broken. On the other hand, the underworld men and who wanted to hack Jogi to death, also drop arms saying, "Jogi took up arms for his mother, for what reason are we fighting?". The movie thus ends with a message of peace and love for all.
With a budget of 4 crores, Shivrajkumar's film Jogi started filming in 2004. The team chalked out a 100-day shooting schedule in Bangalore, Mysore and Rajasthan. Directed by Prem, Jogi was the home production of Ramprasad, produced under Ashwini Productions. The movie marked the debut of Mumbai actresses Jennifer Kotwal and Yana Gupta in Kannada-language films.
Soundtrack
The lyrics were penned by Prem.
Release and reception
Jogi was released on 19 August 2005 in 172 cinemas across Karnataka in 72 prints. It was released in 81 prints later, then a record in Kannada cinema, beaten later by Mungaru Male. Jogi generated tremendous hype, partly due to Shivrajkumar's peculiar hairdo, the music, and the success of director Prem's previous ventures. Nowrunning.com praised the film for its authentic portrayal of the underworld and praised Shivrajkumar and Arundhati Nag's acting. Rediff.com felt that the movie justified its hype, but could have been trimmed further. Jogi was remade in Tamil as Parattai Engira Azhagu Sundaram, starring Dhanush and Meera Jasmin, and in Telugu as Yogi, starring Prabhas and Nayanthara. The film was a commercial success. It collected 3 crore in one month from release. In January 2006, Business Standard reported that the film was expected to collect a lifetime gross of 14 crore. A July 2006 report by The Hindu quoting Chitraloka.com said, according to another estimate, it collected 30 crore. After Jogi's huge success, Prem announced a sequel under his home banner Prem Pictures in 2010. The sequel, Jogayya, was released in 2011.
