Geethanjali (1989 film)

Geethanjali
Films poster
Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Screenplay by	Mani Ratnam
Story by	Mani Ratnam
Dialogues by	Rajasri
Produced by	Chittamuru Praveen Kumar Reddy
Starring	Nagarjuna Girija
Cinematography	P. C. Sreeram
Edited by	B. Lenin V. T. Vijayan
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Production company	Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises
Distributed by	Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises
Release date	12 May 1989 (1989-05-12)
Running time	135 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹1.2 crore

Geethanjali is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam and produced by C. Praveen Kumar Reddy. The film stars Nagarjuna and Girija, with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The story revolves around two terminally ill individuals who fall in love, despite knowing they have limited time to live.

Geethanjali was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres and receiving praise for its direction, cinematography, music, and performances. The film was also dubbed in Tamil as Idhayathai Thirudathe, which achieved notable success. It won several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and six state Nandi Awards including Best Feature Film.

The film marked a turning point in Nagarjuna's career, making him a heartthrob among Telugu audiences and attracting a significant female following. Mani Ratnam also gained considerable recognition in Andhra Pradesh due to this film. It was later unofficially remade in Hindi as Yaad Rakhegi Duniya (1992).

Prakash, a carefree and mischievous student, graduates from college and celebrates the occasion with his friends. During the festivities, he is involved in a minor road accident. However, routine medical tests following the accident reveal that Prakash has terminal cancer, with only a few months left to live. Overwhelmed by his mother's constant grief, Prakash decides to spend his remaining days in peace and seclusion at his family's vacation home in Ooty.

In Ooty, Prakash encounters Geethanjali, a lively young woman known for her playful pranks. One of her favorite pastimes is to scare people with elaborate tricks. In one such instance, she convinces a young man to meet her near a church after sundown, supposedly to elope with her. When the man arrives, Geethanjali and her friends, disguised as ghosts, frighten him away. Geethanjali attempts to pull a similar prank on Prakash, unaware that he has already heard of her antics. However, her plan backfires when Prakash turns the tables on her by dressing as a vampire and executing a series of aerial wire stunts, scaring her instead.

Frustrated by her failure to intimidate Prakash, Geethanjali devises another scheme. She falsely accuses Prakash of asking her to elope, reporting this to her grandmother. Outraged, Geethanjali's grandmother publicly confronts and humiliates Prakash, despite his attempts to explain the truth. Angered by the false accusation, Prakash retaliates by driving Geethanjali to a remote hillside and leaving her there. Later that night, Geethanjali's youngest sister informs Prakash that Geethanjali has not returned home, and the family is worried. Prakash, realizing the seriousness of his actions, searches for Geethanjali and finds her shivering in the cold. He brings her back to her family, where Geethanjali's grandmother scolds him, revealing that Geethanjali has a terminal illness. Surprised by this revelation, Prakash is intrigued by how Geethanjali remains so cheerful and full of life despite her condition.

Geethanjali explains to Prakash that she is not afraid of death, as she believes everyone will die eventually. She chooses to live in the moment, enjoying life rather than worrying about the future. Inspired by her outlook, Prakash begins to embrace his own mortality and decides to live his remaining days to the fullest.

As time passes, Prakash falls in love with Geethanjali and begins to pursue her romantically. Initially, Geethanjali dismisses his advances, thinking they are just another of his pranks. However, she eventually reciprocates his feelings. Their relationship deepens until Prakash's mother visits him and inadvertently reveals his terminal illness to Geethanjali, who had been unaware of his condition. Heartbroken, Geethanjali urges Prakash to leave her, unable to bear the thought of losing him. Prakash tries to comfort her, reminding her that death is inevitable for everyone, but Geethanjali insists that his life is more important to her than her own. She pleads with him to leave, as she cannot bear to witness his death.

That night, Geethanjali's health takes a turn for the worse, and she is rushed to the hospital. Prakash attempts to visit her, but her father, who is also a doctor, asks him to leave, respecting Geethanjali's wishes. Devastated, Prakash decides to leave town. Meanwhile, Geethanjali undergoes a critical heart operation. After the surgery, she regains consciousness and immediately asks to see Prakash. Her family, realizing that Prakash is about to leave, rushes to the railway station.

At the station, Prakash is preparing to depart when he sees Geethanjali approaching. Overcome with emotion, he runs back to her, and the two are reunited. The film concludes with Prakash and Geethanjali sharing a kiss, having found solace and love in each other's company despite their tragic circumstances.

Special appearances (listed alphabetically):

• Chandramohan
• Silk Smitha in "Jagada Jagada"

Nagarjuna, fascinated by Mani Ratnam's Mouna Ragam (1986), was eager to collaborate with the director.^[3] Recognizing his own cinematic sensibilities through Ratnam's work, he persistently waited outside Ratnam's house each morning, hoping to engage in conversations during the director's daily walks. After a month of persistence, Nagarjuna persuaded Ratnam to direct a Telugu film with him in the lead.^[3] Despite initial reluctance, Ratnam agreed, leading to the creation of Geethanjali—his only Telugu film.^[4]

The story, inspired by the film Young Die First, was about two characters who know they are going to die soon. Ratnam developed the story and screenplay based on this concept. The title Geethanjali was inspired by a Delhi-based 11-year-old girl suffering from cancer, whose emotional diary entries were published at the time, deeply moving Ratnam, who decided to name both the film and its heroine after her. The film as produced on a budget of around ₹1.2 crore. Nagarjuna was paid ₹7.5 lakh while Mani Ratnam’s remuneration was ₹10 lakh.^[5]

Girija, born in London to a Kannada mother and a British father, was cast as the lead actress in Geethanjali after Mani Ratnam noticed her at his wedding to Suhasini, where she accompanied the sister of cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth. She trained under a senior associate director for two months before filming.^[5] During post-production, her voice was dubbed by Rohini.^[6]

Mani Ratnam, impressed with Rajasri's work on Telugu dubs of his Tamil films, asked him to write for his first straight Telugu film. Rajasri agreed, and Mani Ratnam ensured that every dialogue was translated into Tamil and made adjustments as necessary. The film featured fewer dialogues compared to a typical love story.^[5]

Principal photography began on 12 October 1988 and was completed in sixty working days. Suhasini, newly-wedded to Mani Ratnam, clapped the first shot. The filming started early at dawn, around 5 AM, and wrapped up by about 11 AM, with the cast and crew arriving on location an hour before filming. Most of the scenes were shot in the misty valleys of Ooty, chosen by Director Mani Ratnam for its soft, poetic atmosphere to capture a dreamy, romantic feel. The hero's house scenes were filmed at a hotel in Ooty where Nagarjuna stayed, and the heroine’s house was a guesthouse in Ooty. Additional scenes set in Madras were filmed at the Vasan House, owned by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. An ice machine was brought from Madras to enhance the mist when needed.^[5]

The film's songs were shot across various scenic locations. "Jallanta Kavvinta" and "Aamani Paadave" were filmed in Ooty. "O Priyaa, Priyaa" was shot in Jaisalmer with around 100 camels and completed in one week. The film featured innovative techniques, such as using ice for mist effects and employing a round trolley for a single-take song. P. C. Sreeram's cinematography was praised for its natural, poetic style capturing the serenity of Ooty with wide-angle lenses and presenting the lead actors with soft lenses to create a dreamlike appearance.^[5]

In the film's climax, a dialogue was added that reads, "Enni rojulu bratukutaaro teliyadu kaanii bratikinannaallu santoshamgaa untaaru" ("No one knows how many days they will live, but they will live those remaining days happily"). This change was influenced by the President of Nagarjuna’s Fan Association, who expressed dissatisfaction with the initially tragic ending. He suggested that the conclusion should reflect a more positive outcome, since both hero and heroine dying would not make the audiences happy. Consequently, that line was added to align with this feedback.^[5]

The film's soundtrack, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, was a major hit even before the film's release. Lyrics for the songs were written by Veturi.^[7][8] Mani Ratnam had the lyrics translated into English to understand their meaning, and he was so impressed that Veturi became the permanent lyricist for all his future films. Both the soundtrack and background music played a key role in the film's success and remained popular with audiences.^[9] The song "O Priya Priya" was later unofficially adapted into the Hindi film Dil (1990) by Anand-Milind.^[5]

Due to distributor skepticism, producer Praveen Kumar Reddy distributed the film himself in select places like Visakhapatnam. Geethanjali was released on 19 May 1989 and was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. The film was dubbed in Tamil as Idhayate Thirudaade (transl. Don’t steal my heart) and was released on 5 July 1989, and was also successful. It was also dubbed into Malayalam and was unofficially remade in Hindi as Yaad Rakhegii Duniya (1992).^[5]

Geethanjali made Nagarjuna a heartthrob among Telugu audiences, attracting a significant female following and marking a turning point in his career. Released five months before another major hit, Siva, both films solidified Nagarjuna's appeal to both class and mass audiences, paving the way for future blockbusters. Girija’s costumes from the film became popular among the younger generation, while Nagarjuna’s hairstyle set a trend. Mani Ratnam also gained considerable recognition in Andhra Pradesh due to this film.^[13]

• Rangan, Baradwaj (2012). Conversations with Mani Ratnam. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-670-08520-0.

• Geethanjali at IMDb