'Aaptha Mithra' on top after 150 days

Bangalore, Jan 16 (IANS): The phenomenal popularity of "Aaptha Mithra" is proved by the fact that it is still running after playing in theatres for 150 days. Director S. Narayan's "Mourya" and the action film "Kalasi Palya" will also complete 100 days soon.

"Aaptha Mithra", which was comparatively weak in northern Karnataka, has improved its collections tremendously. It is now expected to gross over Rs.100 million.

The late Soundarya's presence is part of the reason for the film's sustained run. It is also a high quality re-make of the Malayalam hit

"Manichithra Thaazhu", which is also being remade in Tamil with Rajnikanth in the lead.

Rockline Venkatesh's production, "Mourya", will complete 100 days on Jan 27. This has been a slow hit, with collections speeding up gradually. For hero Puneet, the film's success is a big boost, as his earlier film "Veera Kannadiga" was a big disappointment.

With "Mourya", director Narayan has confirmed his status in the Kannada film industry. Award-winning Meera Jasmine makes a great Kannada debut in this remake of director Puri Jagannath's Telugu hit "Amma Naanna Oka Tamil Ammaayi". "Mourya" is certainly among the bit hits of the year.

Action hero Darshan's "Kalasi Palya" will complete its 100-day run this week. For heroine Rakshitha, the film's success has come at the right time. The collections, which were high in the initial weeks, have come down somewhat. But they have crossed the Rs.10 million mark in Bangalore alone and are expected to gross over Rs.125 million in the Mysore circuit.

The first week's collections for "Chappaale" have been good, although the film does not boast a big-star cast. This medium-budget production has collected around Rs.220 million in Bangalore, while state-wide takes exceed Rs.500 million.

With a number of holidays in the coming weeks, the producer and distributors can look forward to larger returns.

"Joke Falls", a film that was released only in a few theatres, has already completed 50 days. Ramesh Arvind's acting and the comedy have proved advantageous to the film.

With a moderate budget of around Rs.7.5 million, "Joke Falls" was produced by Atlanta Nagendra, a Kannadiga NRI. This may promise good marketing potential abroad. A re-make of the Hindi film "Chupke Chupke", the film is running to packed houses in Bangalore.