Kempe Gowda (film)

Kempe Gowda is a sub-inspector in the small hometown of Rona in the Gadag district of Karnataka, where he is adored. His bumbling colleague Pashupati is cheerful and always helps him with his work. His family business is provisional stores and Kempegowda wants to join it but he joined the police due to his father's wishes. He resolves most of the problems in his village with non-violence and mutual counselling. He uses force only when the situation demands it, thereby gaining much reputation and love from the villagers. Mahadev an industrialist based in Bengaluru and a friend of Kempegowda's father comes to the village along with his beautiful daughter Kavya. Eventually, Kempegowda and Kavya fall in love with each other.

Bengaluru-based Armugam, a big-time extortionist with shady mafia dealings who blackmails people by complaining to the Income Tax Department, is required to travel to Gadag to sign a conditional bail. He instead, sends one of his allies to do the formalities, much to the anger and rage of Kempegowda who demands that Armugam sign the bail in person. Humiliated, Armugam reaches Gadag but is unable to take any revenge on Kempegowda fearing the immense love and devotion of the entire village towards Kempegowda. Using his political contacts, he gets Kempegowda transferred to Bengaluru to teach him a lesson. Kempegowda, unaware of Armugam's hand behind his transfer, joins Magadi Road police station. His co-worker, Sub-Inspector Bose, hates Armugam for his crimes but is unable to take any action because of Armugam's political powers. The assistant commissioner, Kempegowda's senior, is on Armugam's payroll and takes care of concealing and eliminating the evidence of Armugam's crimes from the eyes of the law. The police commissioner also does not help Kempegowda as there is no evidence against Armugam and the assistant commissioner and in turn, warns him to stay away from Armugam's case.

Unable to take on Armugam in his stronghold, Kempegowda wants to return to his village but is stopped by Kavya who encourages him to fight against the evil and not run like a coward. Being mentally tortured by Armugam, Kempegowda arrests Armugam's brother Vaikunta in a fake case of illegally smuggling alcohol. He thwarts off the assistant commissioner in full view of the public when the assistant commissioner, bounded by his duties to Armugam, tries to protect the henchman. Meanwhile, Armugam kidnaps Kavya's younger sister Divya for ransom. Rescuing her, with unexpected help from the Home Minister Kempegowda successfully traces the origins of the kidnapping racket to Armugam. Kempegowda also gets promoted to Assistant Commissioner of the specially-formed Anti-kidnapping Task Force. Mahadev, who was hostile to Kempegowda following an altercation with Kempegowda's father back at Gadag, softens up and agrees to give him Kavya's hand in marriage.

The police officers, including the police commissioner, and the assistant commissioner, now on Kempegowda's side, decide to help Kempegowda fight Armugam. They manage to kill Armugam's brother in an encounter at a hospital and begins to target everyone and everything related to Armugam. In retribution Armugam starts targeting everyone close to Kempegowda including Kavya whom he shoots but is saved by Kempegowda and Bose who is hacked to death by Armugam's henchmen. Finally in a bid to escape the arrest warrant issued out to him, Armugam kidnaps the Tamil Nadu Home Minister's daughter. He falsely tells Kempegowda that he is going to Mangaluru with her when he is actually going to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh to put the police off the track. However Kempegowda manages to pursue them till Gudur near Nellore, where he rescues the home minister's daughter and kills Armugam in an encounter. In the end as the post credits roll, Kempegowda is seen with Kavya heading back to Mysuru, and as when Kempegowda is stopped briefly by the Home Minister who offers an undercover mission, to which Kempegowda willingly agrees.

The soundtrack of Kempegowda was released by Anand Audio. The songs were composed by Arjun Janya with lyrics by V. Nagendra Prasad. This was the first collaboration of Arjun Janya with Sudeepa.

Kempe Gowda was released in 100+ theaters on 10 March 2011 across the state.[4]

This film was a commercial success at Box office and became one of the highest grossing Kannada movie of 2011.

Kempe Gowda earned ₹50 million (US$630,000)in its first week.[7]

59th Filmfare Awards South :-

• Filmfare Award for Best Film - Kannada – Nominated[8]
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Kannada – Nominated – Sudeepa[8]
• Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Kannada – Nominated – Ragini Dwivedi[8]
• Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor - Kannada – Winner – P. Ravi Shankar[9]

1st South Indian International Movie Awards :-

• Best Actor (Male) – Kannada – Nominated – Sudeepa[10]
• Best Actor (Female) – Kannada – Nominated – Ragini Dwivedi[10]
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Kannada – Nominated – Tara[10]
• Best Actor in a Negative Role – Kannada – Nominated – P. Ravi Shankar[10]
• Best Playback Singer (Male) – Kannada – Nominated – Vijay Prakash for the song "Thara Thara Hidiside"[10]
• Best Lyricist – Kannada – Nominated – Ghose Dheer for the song "Thara Thara Hidiside"[10]

Sandalwood Star Awards :-

• Best Film – Nominated[11]
• Best Actress – Nominated – Ragini Dwivedi[12]
• Best Actor in a Negative Role – Nominated – P. Ravi Shankar[13]
• Rising Star (Female) – Winner – Ragini Dwivedi[14]
• Best Music Director – Nominated – Arjun Janya[15]
• Best Stunt Director – Nominated – Ravi Varma[16]
• Best Stunt Director – Nominated – Different Dyani[16]
• Best Cinematographer – Nominated – Krishna[17]
• Best Editor – Nominated – N.M Vishwa[18]

4th Suvarna Film Awards :-

• Best Editor – Winner – N.M. Vishwa[19]

Bengaluru Times Film Awards :-

• Best Actor in a Negative Role – Winner – P. Ravi Shankar[20]
• Best Film – Nominated[21]
• Best Music Director – Nominated – Arjun Janya[21]
• Best Lyricist – Nominated – Yogaraj Bhat for the song "Hale Radio"[21]
• Best Playback Singer Male – Nominated – Sudeepa for the song "Hale Radio"[21]
• Best Playback Singer Female – Nominated – Shamitha Malnad for the song "Hale Radio"[21]

1st Kannada International Music Awards (KiMA):-

• Best Composer (Film Album) – Nominated – Arjun Janya[22]
• Best Background Score – Winner – Arjun Janya[23]

• Kempe Gowda at IMDb
• Kempe Gowda at AllMovie