The film was partially reshot in Telugu under the same title with Chiranjeevi's scenes reshot and Brahmanandam and Tanikella Bharani replacing Dwarakish and Mimicry Dayanand, respectively whilst all other scenes were dubbed from the Kannada original.
The film was released on 22 June 2001 worldwide. Upon release, the film received positive reviews and became a super-hit at the box office. The film was screened in the International Film Festival of India.
Background
Manjunatha is an aspect of Shiva. Manju means 'snow' and Natha means 'lord.' Since Lord Shiva resides on Mount Kailash, and hence the ruler of the Himalaya Mountains, as he is the lord of that loka (dimension), he is called Manjunatha.
Manjunatha is one of the most common names in Karnataka state for males and Manjula for females. Both are commonly called by the nickname name "Manju." This is mostly because of the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swami Temple located in Dharmasthala, Karnataka.
Plot
Manjunatha is an atheist, but a good person helping others in need and fighting evil and so even though Manjunatha hates his namesake Lord Siva, the latter loves his would be devotee. Being an atheist, Manjunatha always scolds Lord Shiva which is watched by his vehicle Nandi and his attendant Bhrungi. Manjunatha meets Katyayini a to-become devadasi (Servant of the Lord) and marries her. Soon they beget a son, Siddhartha ("Siddhu"), who like his mother is a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva.
After marriage Manjunatha realizes the existence of Lord Shiva and slowly transforms himself into a great devotee of Lord Shiva and with his devotion, lights the lamps of the Manjunatha Temple in Dharmasthala without using a matchstick and wins the hearts of everybody including the local King, Ambikeswara Maharaju who invites him to his court where he felicitates Manjunatha much to Manjunatha's dislike where the king realises that Manjunatha is going to die.
In the meantime Manjunatha starts a KotiLingamPuja with over 1,000 lingams worshipped and both Manjunatha and the king singing the Lingashtakam and performing the puja. Manjunatha is also troubled by his enemies and is aided by Lord Shiva who comes in various disguises to save his devotee and help him and his wife attain salvation.
A critic from Chitraloka wrote that "In the annals of Kannada film history this film is undoubtedly a masterpiece".[5] A critic from Online Bangalore wrote that "This film is undoubtedly a masterpiece. It has a wonderful star cast, director, music, singers, [and] cinematography".[6]
Regarding the partially reshot Telugu version, Jeevi of Idlebrain.com wrote that "He takes us through a journey till the heart-touching climax by making the best use of the histrionics of Chiranjeevi, Arjun and other actors".[7] A critic from Full Hyderabad wrote that "'Sri Manjunatha' is an example of doing justice to a particular genre with complete honesty. It will reap the dividends due to this trait".[8]
^Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
References
^Raghavan, Nikhil (6 September 2014). "Once again a gentleman". Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
