Nooru Janmaku

A major controversy broke out on the last day shooting of the climax portions at a Hong Kong location. Director Nagathihalli reportedly slapped actress Aindrita on the set.[3] She was accused of arriving late to the shoot repeatedly every day and also disrespecting the unit crew members and technicians. However, Aindrita ruled out this and accused the director as a womanizer and misbehaved with her on the sets. The issue was complained to the Karnataka Film Chamber and other legal associations of Kannada cinema. The incident brought down the reputation of the legendary filmmaker. However, the controversy was resolved in a meeting between the Artists Association President Ambareesh and Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce President Jayamala. It was reported that the meeting went on for three hours resulting in the problem being solved with both the director and the actress admitting to their mistakes.[4][5]

A critic from The Times of India scored the film at 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Santhosh proves his mettle while Aindritha marvels with excellent expressions and pleasing mannerisms. Sharan is not the right choice. Santhosh Rai Pathaje's camerawork is simply superb. Mano Murthy's music is okay".[10] Shruti Indira Lakshminarayana of Rediff.com scored the film at 1.5 out of 5 stars and says "The true hero is cinematographer Santosh Pathaje. He has made magic with his camera, especially in the climax. Nooru Janmaku could have been an ideal family watch, but it is as dull as the recession".[11] B S Srivani from Deccan Herald wrote "Rajesh Krishnan should be commended for the remixed “Nooru Janmaku” song and for lending his voice to Santhosh. Ditto the artist who has spoken for Adarsh. Pataje’s work of beauty is ruined during the post-production work and the ‘stunning’ visuals fail to give joy. Time the director stuck to his convictions and gave wholesome cinema. A patient audience deserves atleast that much".[12] A critic from Bangalore Mirror wrote  "Santosh in the first lead role of his career would normally be considered the weakest link. But he manages to give a good performance and comes out as the best bet. On the music front, only the title song borrowed from Nagathihalli’s America America shows sings of becoming a hit. The background score tries to force the audience to laugh and fails. The camera work stands in good stead".[13]