Orthodhaval at 21:39, 3 March 2026

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{{short description|2005 film by D. Rajendra Babu}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Auto Shankar Grand 100 Days poster.jpg
| director = [[D. Rajendra Babu]]
| producer = [[Ramu (Film Producer)|Ramu]]
| writer = B. L. Venu
Tushar Ranganath<br>([[Dialogues]])
| screenplay = Ajay Kumar
| story = Ajay Kumar
| starring = [[Upendra (actor)|Upendra]]<br>[[Shilpa Shetty]]<br>[[Radhika Kumaraswamy|Radhika]]
| music = [[Gurukiran]]
| cinematography = [[H. C. Venu]]
| editing = T. Shashikumar
| studio = Ramu Films
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2005|09|09|India|df=y}}
| runtime = 170 minutes
| language = Kannada
| country = India
| budget =
}}
'''''Auto Shankar''''' is a 2005 Indian [[Kannada]]-language [[masala film]] starring [[Upendra (actor)|Upendra]], [[Shilpa Shetty]], and [[Radhika Kumaraswamy|Radhika]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/telugu-cinema/happy-birthday-shilpa-shetty-azad-to-auto-shankar-her-8-best-south-indian-films-you-should-watch-101623167025881.html|title=Happy birthday Shilpa Shetty: Azad to Auto Shankar, her 8 best South Indian films you should watch|date=8 June 2021|work=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/jul/11slide4.htm|title=Raadhika: Glam doll or performer?|date=11 July 2006|work=[[Rediff.com]]|author=R. G. Vijayasarathy}}</ref> The film was directed by [[D. Rajendra Babu]] and produced by [[Ramu (Film Producer)|Ramu]], of Ramu Enterprises. It tells the story of Shankar, an autorickshaw driver belonging to a middle-class family, who gets into a conflict with Maya, a moneylender. However, the tables turn when she loses her property and they fall in love.

The film was dubbed in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] as ''Aanavakari'', in [[Hindi]] as ''Shilpa - The Big Don'' in 2007 and in [[Malayalam]] as ''Sarappa Sundari''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Make way for Shilpa, The Big Don |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/sep/10shilpa.htm |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=www.rediff.com}}</ref> The film was remade in Bangladesh in 2017 as ''[[Ohongkar]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/from-anuraga-aralithu-to-u-turn-kannada-movies-that-were-remade-in-foreign-languages/etphotostory/76302041.cms|title = From 'Anuraga Aralithu' to 'U Turn': Kannada movies that were remade in foreign languages| work=The Times of India |date = 10 June 2020}}</ref>

== Synopsis ==
Shankar is a middle-class autorickshaw driver. He is friendly and jovial. Maya, a moneylender, is brought up in a rich family and is portrayed as a boorish character. She is unscrupulous in recovering loans given to the poor and has designed crude methods to recover the money. She is also the daughter of a lady [[don (honorific)|don]].

Shankar defends the poor and fights the moneylenders. Several interesting battles follow, after which the Maya loses all her property and prestige. It is also revealed that she is not really the daughter of the lady don. She then learns a lesson that reforms her attitude. She makes amends, and Shankar embraces her as the two fall in love. The rest forms the plot of the story.

==Cast==
{{Colbegin}}
* [[Upendra (actor)|Upendra]] as Auto Shankar
* [[Radhika Kumaraswamy]] as Gowri
* [[Shilpa Shetty]] as Maya, an arrogant moneylender
* [[Sudharani]] as Geeta, Shankar's sister
* [[Bhavya]] as an Auto driver's wife
* [[Srinivasa Murthy]] as Shankar's father
* [[Sumithra (actress)|Sumithra]] as Shankar's mother
* [[Gurukiran]] as Akash, Geeta's husband
* [[Avinash Yelandur|Avinash]] as Ramayya, Maya's biological father
* [[Tara (Kannada actress)|Tara]] as Maya's biological mother
* [[Srinivas Prabhu]]
* [[Ramesh Bhat]] as a victim whose daughter committed suicide due to Maya
* Ashok Rao as [[Director general of police|DGP]] of Police
* Lakshman Rao as Corrupt Police Inspector
* [[Doddanna]] as Kalamma's husband
* [[Rangayana Raghu]] as Maava, Kalamma's accountant
* [[Telangana Shakuntala]] as Kalamma, a lady don and Maya's adopted mother
* Ashalatha
* [[Mohan Raj]] as Peddodu, Kalamma's brother
* Rajashekhar Kotian as Chinnodu, Kalamma's brother
* Mohan Juneja as a man who came to see Geeta for a marriage proposal
* Maarimutthu Sarojamma
* Shanthamma
* H. M. T. Nandha
* [[Padma Vasanthi]]
*[[Sadhu Kokila]] as Anandha, Gowri's maternal uncle
*[[B. Jayamma]]
* Bangalore Nagesh as Kalamma's husband's accountant
* Dileep
* M. N. Suresh
* Pailwaan Venu
{{Colend}}

==Production ==
The film was launched at Gavi Gangadeshwara Temple in Basavanagudi in Bangalore.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 December 2004 |title=Upendra is riding a wave! |url=http://sify.com/entertainment/movies/kannada/fullstory.php?id=13627218 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050103090034/http://sify.com/entertainment/movies/kannada/fullstory.php?id=13627218 |archive-date=3 January 2005 |access-date=29 August 2025 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> As the director was ill during the majority of the shoot, [[Telugu cinema]]'s renowned associate director Shiva Ramakrishna, an associate of [[Puri Jagannadh]], directed the songs, fight sequences and a major portion of Shilpa Shetty's scenes. The movie was filmed in different locations including [[Austria]], [[Finland]], the [[Bangalore Palace]], and the Mysore Lamps Factory, [[Mysore]].

=== Controversy ===
The film sparked off a controversy with regard to a [[movie poster]] depicted a [[Glamour photography|glamour still]] of Shilpa Shetty from the film. A [[Madurai]] based lawyer filed an [[obscenity]] case against Shetty. Shetty however, protested by saying that "It (the photo) is not vulgar. I am an actor and an entertainer and I won't endorse [[vulgarity]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/news-feed/nm15/i-won-t-endorse-vulgarity-shilpa/article1-135246.aspx |title=I won't endorse vulgarity: Shilpa |date=8 August 2006 |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |accessdate=26 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427012523/http://www.hindustantimes.com/news-feed/nm15/i-won-t-endorse-vulgarity-shilpa/article1-135246.aspx |archivedate=27 April 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The music is composed by [[Gurukiran]].

The music of the song "Ready Ready" was used in the [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] film ''[[Nagavalli (film)|Nagavalli]]'' and the music was given by Guru Kiran.
{| class="wikitable" width="70%"
! Song title !! Singers
|-
| "Kabaddi Kabaddi" || [[Rajesh Krishnan]], [[Malathy Lakshman|Malathi]]
|-
| "Kachhi Kachhi" || [[Udit Narayan]]
|-
| "Line Hodi" || [[Malgudi Subha]], [[Guru Kiran]]
|-
| "Raja Muddu Raja" || [[S. Janaki]], [[P. B. Sreenivas]]
|-
| "Ready Ready" || [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]]
|-
| "Yen Madlo" || [[Sunder (singer)|Sundar]]
|-
|}

==Reception==
Film critic [[R. G. Vijayasarathy]] of ''[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]]'' wrote that "''Auto Shankar'' is one of those typical mass (or it masala) films which are made in style but lack substance".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/2475/kannada/auto-shankar/581/review.htm|title=Auto Shankar Movie Review|work=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]]|via=Nowrunning|date=9 September 2005}}</ref> B. S. Srivani of ''[[Deccan Herald]]'' wrote "Ajaykumar has written an 'original' screenplay which is heavily influenced by Telugu movies -even the scenes reek of Telugu overtones. It is sad to see a director of Rajndra Babu's calibre picturising 'reality' in such a crude manner".<ref>{{cite web|title=Auto Shankar|website=[[Deccan Herald]]|access-date=1 April 2025|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep112005/movies171152005910.asp|first=B. S.|last=Srivani|date=11 September 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207073130/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep112005/movies171152005910.asp|archive-date=7 December 2006}}</ref>

==Box office==
''Auto Shankar'' successfully ran for 100 days. The film was released at the same time as the [[Puneeth Rajkumar]] starrer ''[[Namma Basava]]'' and there was a fierce competition between the two films. Both the films were successful at the box office,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viggy.com/english/current_namma_basava_100days.asp |title=Namma Basava and Auto Shankar hit the 100days mark |publisher=Viggy.com |date=2011-03-13 |accessdate=2012-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latestcinema.com/kannada/Kannada-audio-race.html |title=Kannada audio race : Jogi, Amrithdhare, Vishnu Sena, Anna Thangi, Uppi Dada MBBS, top five films : Jogi, Amrithdhare, Auto Shankar, Namma Basava, Swamy, Guru Kiran has now become the toast of Kannada film music fans|work=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]] |via=Latestcinema.com |accessdate=2012-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427025714/http://www.latestcinema.com/kannada/Kannada-audio-race.html |archive-date=27 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but ''Auto Shankar'' turned out to be more successful than ''Namma Basava''.

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title|0466361|Auto Shankar}}
*[http://www.viggy.com/english/current_auto_shankar.asp Preview of the film]

{{D. Rajendra Babu}}

[[Category:2005 Kannada-language films]]
[[Category:2005 action films]]
[[Category:2005 films]]
[[Category:Films set in Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Films scored by Gurukiran]]
[[Category:Films shot in Finland]]
[[Category:Films shot in Austria]]
[[Category:Kannada films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Films directed by D. Rajendra Babu]]
[[Category:Indian romantic action films]]
[[Category:Films about interclass romance]]
[[Category:Indian gangster films]]
[[Category:Films about suicide]]
[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Karnataka Police]]
[[Category:Films shot in Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Films shot in Mysore]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]
[[Category:2005 controversies]]
[[Category:Indian action comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy-drama films]]

Auto Shankar film - Revision history

Orthodhaval at 21:39, 3 March 2026