Abhinetri (2015 film)

Abhinetri
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Satish Pradhan
Produced by	Pooja Gandhi Jyothi Gandhi
Screenplay by	Sathish Pradhan
Story by	Sathish Pradhan
Starring	Pooja Gandhi Atul Kulkarni P. Ravi Shankar
Music by	Mano Murthy
Cinematography	K. S. Chandrashekhar
Edited by	K. M. Prakash
Production company	Pooja Gandhi Productions
Distributed by	Vayuputra Films Jyothi Films Meghashree Films RJ Films
Release date	30 January 2015 (2015-01-30)
Running time	156 minutes
Country	India
Language	Kannada
Budget	₹1.5 crore
Box office	₹3 crore

Abhinetri – The Tragedy of a Legend is a 2015 Indian Kannada language film directed by Satish Pradhan. It stars Pooja Gandhi in the lead role. The film is based on the life of actress Kalpana. The supporting cast features Makarand Deshpande, Srinagar Kitty, Atul Kulkarni, P. Ravi Shankar and Neethu. After much delay in the post production, the film opened on screens on 30 January 2015.

The film was a critically and financially success at the domestic box office.

The story of a 'heroine' who hails from a humble background and goes on to become a 'star'. However, the limelight gets to her and what follows is her downfall. Abhinetri reminds you of the Kareena Kapoor-Madhur Bhandarkar Heroine. But this is a subtle version of it with real facts from Minugutaare Kalpana's life. How she was once the most sought after actresses and what made her lose sight of her goal. Attitude is everything in life...this is the bottomline of the movie.

It was revealed in July 2013 that Pooja Gandhi would produce and essay the lead role in the film, while Makarand Deshpande, who had appeared in a few Kannada films earlier, was confirmed with a part in the film.Srinagar Kitty's cameo role in the film was confirmed in April 2014. Talking about her preparations for the film, Gandhi said she watched Kalpana's films like Eradu Kanasu, Belli Moda, Gejje Pooje, Kappu Bilupu and Sharapanjara, to get her mannerisms and body language right.

Filming reportedly began in November 2013. Satish Pradhan, the director of the film, having denied initially that the film is based on the life of actress Kalpana, later revealed the fact, after the court ruling in their favor of a case filed by author Bhagya Krishnamurthy. He said, "We spoke to a lot of yesteryear actors and directors like KSL Swamy, Bhagawan, PH Vishwanath, Leelavathi, Jayanthi and BV Radha to understand the dynamics of the film industry back then, and got their inputs and impressions about Kalpana from their interactions with her." Gandhi admitted to the same, following the revelation that the film was based on the life of Kalpana. Sequences of the film were shot in AVM Studios and the beaches of Chennai, which were the filming locations of the 1970s. The theatre scenes were shot at Gudigeri Basavaraj and Malathi Sudhir Drama companies which still had props from the 1970s including vintage mirrors.