Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side A

Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side A
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHemanth M. Rao
Written byGundu Shetty
Hemanth M. Rao
Produced byRakshit Shetty
StarringRakshit Shetty
Rukmini Vasanth
CinematographyAdvaitha Gurumurthy
Edited bySunil S. Bharadwaj
Hemanth M. Rao
Music byCharan Raj
Production
company
Distributed byKVN Productions
Release date
  • 1 September 2023 (2023-09-01)
Running time
142 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Box office₹20–26 crore[1]

Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side A[a] (transl. "Somewhere Beyond the Seven Seas (Side A)") is a 2023 Indian Kannada-language romantic action drama film directed by Hemanth M. Rao and produced by Rakshit Shetty. It stars Rakshit Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth in lead roles. The music was composed by Charan Raj, the cinematography was handled by Advaitha Gurumurthy and edited by Sunil S. Bharadwaj and Hemanth M. Rao.[2]

Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A was released on 1 September 2023 to positive reviews from critics. A sequel titled Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side B was released on 17 November 2023.

Plot

Manu is an innocent, simple car driver employed by Shankregouda, a powerful business tycoon. He is deeply in love with Priya, a passionate college student and aspiring singer who dreams of one day living in a beachside house with Manu and her family. Driven by a desire to fulfill his lover's dream, Manu works hard to build a future with her.

The couple's aspirations are shattered when Shankregouda's son, Preetam, kills a pedestrian in a drunk-driving accident. Desperate to protect his family's reputation, Shankregouda pressures Manu into taking the legal blame for the incident. In exchange for pleading guilty in court, the tycoon promises to orchestrate Manu's swift release on bail and provide him with enough wealth to secure the beachside house. Believing this is his only chance to fast-track Priya's dream, Manu confesses to the crime before a judge, completely disregarding Priya's desperate pleas and disapproval. While Shankregouda's legal team begins working on his bail, the tycoon suddenly dies of a heart attack. Seizing the opportunity, Shankregouda's greedy manager, Prabhu, convinces his grieving widow to cut ties with Manu and stop spending money on his defense.

Left abandoned in prison, Manu finds himself without the money or political influence to save himself. Outside, a desperate Priya attempts to contact Shankregouda's family, lawyers, and Prabhu, but she is universally ignored. Refusing to give up, she halts her college education, sells her jewelry to hire an independent lawyer, and takes up jobs to fund Manu's legal battle. Inside the prison walls, Manu faces brutal physical torment from a ruthless inmate named Soma and his gang, who capitalize on his lack of external protection. To survive the harsh environment, Manu aligns himself with an older inmate named Patila, joining his textile-weaving faction.

Despite the distance, the couple maintains their bond through prison visits and recorded cassette tapes filled with music and messages. However, the emotional toll severely drains Priya, who slips into a deep depression and stops singing entirely. Recognizing her daughter's deterioration, Priya's mother visits Manu in prison and begs him to release Priya from her emotional trap. Consumed by guilt and facing a prolonged sentence, Manu writes a letter to Priya, urging her to move on, marry someone else, and never abandon her singing. Priya initially refuses to accept the separation and continues visiting the prison, but Manu deliberately refuses to see her.

Eventually worn down by the emotional turmoil, Priya relents and agrees to an arranged marriage. Breaking under the isolation, Manu tries to call Priya one last time, only for her brother to answer the phone and reveal that her wedding is taking place that very day. Simultaneously, Soma's gang deliberately destroys the radio Manu uses to play Priya's voice recordings. Having lost everything, Manu snaps, instigating a violent revolt against the inmates that results in him being severely beaten by the guards.

A flash-forward sequence teasing the sequel reveals Manu being released from prison ten years later. Hardened by a decade of incarceration, he steps back into society with a singular, dual purpose: to seek vengeance against those who betrayed him and to track down Priya.

Cast

Soundtrack

Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A
Soundtrack album by
Released2023
Recorded2023
Studios2bq Studios, Audiokraft Studios
GenreSoundtrack
Length23:16
LabelParamvah Music
ProducerCharan Raj
Charan Raj soundtrack chronology
Head Bush
(2023)
Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A
(2023)
Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side B
(2023)
External audio
audio icon Official Audio Jukebox on YouTube
Singles from Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A
  1. "Horaata"
    Released: July 20, 2023
  2. "Sapta Saagaradaache Ello Title Track"
    Released: Aug 08, 2023
  3. "Kadalanu"
    Released: Sep 07, 2023

Charan Raj composed the soundtrack and background score.[3] The background score enhanced the output of the movie and all the songs of the movie were well received.[4]

Songs

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Horaata"MC Bijju, Kiran KaverappaMC Bijju, Keerthan Holla03:12
2."Sapta Saagaradaache Ello Title Track"Dhananjay RanjanKapil Kapilan04:19
3."Kadalanu"Nagarjuna SharmaSrilakshmi Belmannu01:44
4."Kaala Kaayiso Kade"Dhananjay RanjanCharan Raj04:50
5."Kanmareya Kaade"Jayanth KaikiniShakthisree Gopalan, Narayana Sharma03:48
6."Saagaradaache"Dhananjay RanjanArun Kamath, Karthik Rao05:01

Release

Sapta Saagaradaache Ello - Side A released on 1 September 2023, while the dubbed Telugu version titled Saptha Sagaralu Dhaati - Side A was released on 22 September 2023.

Home media

The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 29 September 2023 in Kannada with dubbed versions of Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi languages.

Reception

Box office

The film was reported to have grossed ₹2.3 - 2.6 crore on its first day and ₹2 crore on its second day.[5] The film went on to gross ₹1.29 crore on its 4th day and ₹1.39 crore on its 5th day.[6] During its theatrical run, the film grossed ₹20 crore at the box office.

Critical reception

Sapta Saagaradaache Ello - Side A received critical acclaim for its storytelling, acting, cinematography and technical aspects. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[7]

Priyanka Sundar of Firstpost gave 4/5 stars and called the film "Poignant, immersive and heart wrenching."[8] Sridevi. S of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "SSE is an amalgamation of fine performances and rich technical values, which makes it a must-watch."[9]

A Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "A profound portrait of love. Its an intense love story with a poetic narrative and this film is a sincere love story, there is no attempt to force songs into it. There is simplicity in the dialogue that accentuates the depth of the lines."[10]

M. Vivek of The Hindu wrote "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello is a film that doesn’t end in theatres; the epic love story offers an immersive experience that keeps you wanting more."[11] Baradwaj Rangan told in his review that "’Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A’ is a beautifully understated and very real romance, with dashes of a very real kind of poetry."

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ stylized as Sapta Saagaradaache Ello (Side-A)

References

  1. ↑ "After a record 2022, Kannada cinema saw a STEEP decline in box office numbers in 2023; not a SINGLE film crossed even the Rs. 70 cr. mark; footfalls down from 8.1 cr. to 3.2 cr". Bollywood Hungama. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "Hemanth Rao announces his next movie "Sapta Saagaradaache Ello"". Udayavani. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "'Horaata', The First single from Rakshith Shetty's 'Sapta Saagaradaache Ello' Out". Udayavani. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  4. ↑ A, Nishanth (16 November 2023). "A Charan Raj Musical: The Aural Poetry Of A Unique Kannada Musician". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Day 1 box office: Rakshit Shetty film off to a good start, but can it sustain the momentum?". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello' box office collection day 5: Rakshit Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth starrer gains momentum, collects Rs 10.73 crore". The Times of India. 6 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side A". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
  8. ↑ "Rakshit Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth's Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side A) movie review". Firstpost. 4 September 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Movie Review : SSE - Side A review: Hemanth Rao weaves a heart-stirring poetry on canvas". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello' review: A profound portrait of Love". newindianexpress. 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  11. ↑ M.V, Vivek (31 August 2023). "'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side A)' movie review: Rakshit Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth anchor a haunting love story". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.