# Aa Dinagalu

Aa Dinagalu (transl. Those Days) is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language crime drama film based on the non-fiction novel Daadaagiriya Dinagalu by Agni Shridhar, and directed by K. M. Chaitanya. It stars Chethan Kumar in the lead role. The supporting cast features Veda Sastry, Sharath Lohitashwa, Ashish Vidhyarthi, and Atul Kulkarni. The plot revolves around mafia in Bangalore during the 1980s when gangsters Kotwal Ramachandra and M. P. Jayaraj dominated the Bangalore underworld. The film's soundtrack and background music was scored by Ilayaraja.
Upon theatrical release on 19 October 2007, the film received positive reviews from critics who acclaimed the screenplay and the acting performance of Sharath Lohitashwa who portrayed the role of Kotwal Ramachandra. The film won three awards each at the 2007–08 Karnataka State Film Awards and 55th Filmfare Awards South; the awards at the latter ceremony being Best Film, Best Director (K. M. Chaitanya) and Best Supporting Actor (Sharath Lohitashwa).

## Plot

Sridhar narrates the preview as story of Kotwal Ramachandra in Bangalore Underworld in 1975, which is coincidentally with declaration of emergency by Indira Gandhi and led to grooming of M. P. Jayaraj as the uncrowned king in Bangalore. Mostly involving for terrorising people, Jayaraj seems to have got imprisoned for contempt of court for 10 years. After the death of Indira Gandhi, Jayaraj is released from prison and finds Kotwal Ramachandra to have taken his spot. Chetan is a business magnate, a Konkani Brahmin with a vast empire of his father who falls in love with Mallika, a dance teacher hailing from Vokkaliga community.
The couple's relationship is not accepted by Chetan's father Girish Nayak, who hires Kotwal Ramachandra to handle the case. Chetan learns about this and is perturbed mentally. For coming as a hardship, Chetan seeks vengeance on Kotwal and seeks Jayaraj to help him in his mission, but just before this, an incident takes place at Kanishka Hotel brings bad reputation for Chetan, who is suspected by the police. After his release, Chetan further strengthen his plan with Sridhar and Bachchan and they befriend Kotwal's friend Siraj. Believing that Kotwal will be safe, Siraj sends this trio to Tumkur. However, Kotwal is killed when his right hand Shetty ditches him. After this, Girish realizes his mistake and unites Chetan and Mallika, who get married and lead a peaceful life.

## Cast

* Chethan Kumar as Chetan Nayak
* Veda Sastry (credited as Archana) as Mallika, Chetan Nayak's love interest
* Sharath Lohitashwa as Kotwal Ramachandra
* Ashish Vidhyarthi as M. P. Jayaraj
* Atul Kulkarni as Agni Shridhar
* Achyuth Kumar as Oil Kumar
* Dinesh Mangalore as Seetharam Shetty
* Girish Karnad as Girish Nayak, Chetan's father
* Vinaya Prasad as Chetan's mother
* Natak Amaan as Muneer
* Aryan Deepak as Bachchan
* Satya as Sardar
* Asif Farooqi as Siraj
* Dharma as Sub-inspector Shivaraj
* Kishan Shetty as Daniel
* Nagendra Urs as Balarama
* Akbar as Rajendra
* Prabhakar as Samson
* Samyukta Hornad as Divya Naik
* Shwetha Srivatsav as Kothwal's wife
* P. D. Sathish Chandra

## Soundtrack

Ilaiyaraaja composed the film's background score and music for its soundtrack. The album consists of three tracks. Lyrics for them were penned by K. Kalyan and D. Sumana Kittur.

## Critical reception

Upon theatrical release, Aa Dinagalu received generally positive reviews from critics. R. G. Vijayasarathy of Rediff reviewed the film rating it 3.5/5 and wrote, "Chaitanya has used a straightforward, simple narration resulting in a profound impact. The background score by Ilayaraja is one of the best heard in the recent times in Kannada films. Cameraman H. C. Venugopal has done a terrific job behind the camera. Sharath Lohithashwa is wonderful as Kothwal Ramachandra, while Atul Kulkarni, Ashish Vidyarthi, Girish Karnad, and the new face Chethan have all given wonderful performances in their respective roles" and concluded writing "Commendable direction, excellent star cast, high class technical crew and a fantastic script..." The Times of India in its review rated the film 3/5 and called the film a "brilliant portrayal of underworld don Kotwal Ramachandra." The reviewer concluded writing, "Sharath Lohithshwa, Ashish Vidyarthi and Atul Kulkarni are brilliant. While Girish Karnad gives a consummate performance, Archana shines and Dharma excels. H C Venu's camerawork is excellent. Ilayaraja's music is pleasing." The reviewer for Deccan Herald felt the film was "a damp squib". He felt, "the subject [was dealt] in a straight, staccato fashion that renders Aa Dinagalu more like docu-feature than a film that sparkles with auteur’s classic feel of the medium."

## Awards

| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient | Result |
| Karnataka State Film Awards | Best Cinematographer | H. C. Venugopal | Won |
| Karnataka State Film Awards | Best Dialogue | Agni Shridhar | Won |
| Karnataka State Film Awards | Best Dubbing Artist (Male) | Sudarshan | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Film – Kannada | Syed Aman Bachchan, M. S. Ravindra | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Director – Kannada | K. M. Chaitanya | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actor – Kannada | Sharath Lohitashwa | Won |
| Kanfida Film Awards | Best Debutant Director | K. M. Chaitanya | Won |
| Kanfida Film Awards | Best Dialogues | Agni Shridhar | Won |
| Udaya Film Awards | Best Actor | Chetan Kumar | Won |
| Udaya Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sharath Lohitashwa | Won |
| Udaya Film Awards | Best Dialogues | Agni Shridhar | Won |
| Kasturi Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sharath Lohitashwa | Won |
| Suvarna Film Awards | Best Story | Agni Shridhar | Won |
| Mysore Minerals Film Awards | Best Supporting actor | Sharath Lohitashwa | Won |
| South Indian Cinematographers' Association (SICA) Awards | Best Debutant Director | K. M. Chaitanya | Won |
| Chennai Film Fans Association Awards | Best Debutant Director | K. M. Chaitanya | Won |
| Chennai Film Fans Association Awards | Best Actor | Sharath Lohitashwa | Won |

## DVD

The DVD of the movie has been released on Anand Audio. This is the first time a Kannada movie with 5.1 surround sound is releasing on a DVD.

## Box office

The film has been completed 100-days in Bangalore region.