| Director: | K. Madesh |
| Screenplay: | K. Madesh |
| Based On: | Bhadra (Telugu)(2005) |
| Producer: | S Srinivasa Murthy Suresh Gowda |
| Starring: | Darshan |
| Music: | V. Harikrishna |
| Cinematography: | Ramesh Babu |
| Editing: | T. Shashi kumarDeepu. S. Kumar |
| Studio: | Sri SeethaByraveshwara productions |
| Distributor: | Jayanna Films |
| Language: | Kannada |
| Runtime: | 2 hours 32 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Budget: | ₹ 3.5 crores |
| Gross: | ₹ 7.5 crores [1] |
Gaja is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language action romance film directed by K. Madesh. It stars Darshan in the titular lead role. The producers of the film claimed it is based on a story by novelist P. Ramachandra Rao (Chandu).[2] It is a remake of the 2005 Telugu film Bhadra.
Gaja (Darshan) and Krishna are close friends. Gaja visits Krishna's village for a holiday but encounters some startling events. He discovers that Krishna's brother, Devendra, is embroiled in a feud with a rival faction, which has strained the relationship between the two families. Despite this, Gaja becomes a favorite of Devendra's family and also develops a liking for Shwetha (Navya Nair), Devendra's sister.
In a faction fight, Devendra and his wife are killed. Gaja tries to defuse the situation, but when he realizes that Devendra's entire family is being targeted, he decides to escape with Krishna and Shwetha. However, the rival faction leader's brother kills Krishna. In retaliation, Gaja kills him and flees to Bangalore with Shwetha. A cat-and-mouse game ensues as Gaja is pursued by the faction leaders. Ultimately, Gaja emerges victorious.
As of October 2007, the shooting for the film was completed.[3]
The soundtrack was composed by V. Harikrishna. All the lyrics were written by V. Nagendra Prasad.
Gaja was released on 11 January 2008. It was certified 'A' by the censor board. The film completed over 100 days at the box office and became an all-time hit in the Kannada film industry, marking a comeback for Darshan after a series of flops.[4] The songs "Bul Bul" ("Bangari Yare Nee") and the Gaja title track became chartbusters.
Sify rated the film 4/5, praising the acting, music, and cinematography.[5] R G Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, stating, "Gajas main strength is the music of Harikrishna and rich production values. Cameraman Ramesh Babu has to be complimented for his efforts. [...] The only thumbs down to Gaja is the director and producer's claim that their film is an original."[6]