'Excuse Me' rules among Kannada films

Bangalore, July 2 (IANS): After a successful 200-day run at the marquees, "Excuse Me" continues to make the cash registers ring and is leading the list of top Kannada films.

The top five Kannada films are:

1. "Excuse Me" - The film is still going strong even after 200 days of screening in Bangalore's Kapali theatre. According to officials at the theatre, the film may run for another eight to 10 weeks.

Reports of the film making more money than expected in rural areas gives an advantage to this film directed by Prem. Producer N.M. Suresh has made it big with his debut and young stars like Ajay Rao, Sunil and Ramya have benefited immensely from the film's success.

2. "Baa Baaro Rasika" - This film, with Ramya Krishna in the lead, made it big on the opening day and still continues to attract huge audience all over Karnataka. In the film, Ramya Krishna plays the role of a 30-plus boss in love with her younger colleague.

"Baa Baaro Rasika" has all sorts of commercial ingredients in the right proportions. One strong feature of the film is the portrayal of the songs.

3. "Monalisa" - The film is produced by debutant producer Dushyanth and directed by journalist Indrajith Lankesh. "Monalisa" has already been sold to all the distribution areas of the state days after a successful opening.

Mumbai-based Dhyan and popular south Indian star Sada are the leading stars of this film, which has good songs and an interesting narrative as its USP.

4. "Ramakrishna" - When two popular heroes combine to make a breezy entertainer, it has good run in the box office. Ravichandran and Jaggesh have proved this maxim again. Both the stars had earlier acted in "Gadibidi Aliya", which was also a silver jubilee hit.

Though "Ramakrishna" is not yet such a blockbuster, it is definitely a good profit-making venture for producer Balu Muththayya. The film, a remake of the Tamil hit "Aan Paavam", has been directed by Sai Prakash.

5. "Malla" - February is not considered a good time for a film's release. But "Malla", despite opening in the second month, went on to become a hit, grossing over Rs.80 million.

Now, it is being exhibited in 'B' centres around the state and getting money for distributors. Ravichandran has written the script, directed the film, composed its music and has even acted in the leading role. No wonder he benefits the most from the film's success.