Geethanjali

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This article is about a Telugu language movie. For the book of poems written by Rabindranath Tagore, see Gitanjali.

Geethanjali

Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	C.Praveen Kumar Reddy
Written by	Mani Ratnam Rajasri
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Release date(s)	1989
Running time	142 min.
Language	Telugu
IMDb profile

Geethanjali (Telugu: గీతాంజలి) is a 1989 Telugu film directed by Mani Ratnam, The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Upon release, the film met with critical acclaim. It was also released in the Malayalam and Tamil languages. The title of the Tamil version of the film is Idhayathai Thirudathey.

1 Plot
2 Notes
3 Awards
4 External links

[edit] Plot

The hero of the piece, Prakash, played by Nagarjuna, epitomises the typical bubbly college-goer. The movie doesn't take much time to establish his easy-going attitude. The movie starts at a hectic pace but comes to a halt when the hero is diagnosed for a terminal illness. The impending danger upsets Prakash and he leaves to Ooty to deal with the news.

There he meets the heroine of the piece, Geethanjali, played by Girija, who teaches him (because she too, though unbeknown to him, has a potentially serious heart condition) that life must be lived, loved and enjoyed at every moment because we - any one of us - could die at any moment, and all things would eventually die.

The rest of the movie has a strong philosophical undertone and portrays the blossoming of a deep understanding of the nature of life, which is brought about through the love of a true friendship. Prakash learns from Girija, a simple-yet-effective lesson: "Take life by its stride". It is a feel-good movie and a must-watch for all. There are a lot of comical and poetic moments in the movie.

[edit] Notes

While there is a similarity of terminal illnesses afflicting the fun loving main character(s) between the Hindi movie Anand and Telugu movie Geethanjali, there are important differences too. For instance in Anand, Rajesh Khanna - the hero character has no lover while in Geethanjali that element constitutes the backbone of the story. Also, there is no major role for friends in Geethanjali, while in Anand, Amitabh Bachchan's character as a friend is a very crucial part of the story. One last connection, between the two movies - both had great songs and music.

[edit] Awards

The film has won the following awards since its release:

Won - Golden Lotus Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1990 National Film Awards (India)
Won - Bangaru Nandi Award - Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment - from the State Govt. of Andhra Pradesh Geethanjali - Mani Ratnam

[edit] External links

Geethanjali at the Internet Movie Database

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Films directed by Mani Ratnam

Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983) • Unaru (1985) • Pagal Nilavu (1985) • Idaya Kovil (1985) • Mouna Raagam (1986) • Nayagan (1987) • Agni Natchathiram (1988) • Geethanjali (1989) • Anjali (1990) • Thalapathi (1991) • Roja (1992) • Thiruda Thiruda (1993) • Bombay (1995) • Iruvar (1997) • Dil Se (1998) • Alaipayuthey (2000) • Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) • Aayitha Ezhuthu (2004) • Yuva (2004) • Guru (2007)