Auto Raja (1980 film)

Auto Raja is a 1980 Indian Kannada-language romance film directed by Vijay, based on a screenplay by M. D. Sundar. The film was produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar's sister husband C. Jayaram under the banner of Sapthaswara Movie Makers. The film stars Shankar Nag and Gayathri in lead roles, while Dwarakeesh, Balakrishna and Leelavathi appear in other supporting roles. The film features original songs composed by the music duo Rajan–Nagendra. The cinematography of the film was handled by S. V. Srikanth. It is considered as one of the best commercial films in Kannada cinema and received cult status. The film was significant in heightening the stardom of Shankar Nag. The film was remade in 1981 in Telugu as Taxi Driver starring Krishnam Raju and in 1982 in Tamil with the same name starring Vijayakanth.

Cast

 * Shankar Nag as Raja
 * Gayathri as Rani / Bhavani
 * Dwarakish
 * Balakrishna as Dr Dinakar, Sudhakar's father
 * Thoogudeepa Srinivas as Bhaskar Rao, Bhavani's father
 * Sundar Krishna Urs as Sudhakar
 * Tiger Prabhakar as Rodrigues
 * Leelavathi as Mahalakshmi, Bhavani's mother
 * Musuri Krishnamurthy as Mahalinga
 * Padma as Sudha, Raja's sister
 * K. S. Ashwath
 * Papamma as Raja and Sudha's mother
 * Prakash Rao as Inspector of Police Station in the intro scene

Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was composed by the famed duo Rajan–Nagendra with lyrics penned by Chi. Udayashankar. Rajan-Nagendra reused the tune of Nanna Aase Hannagi for the 1983 Telugu movie Puli Bebbuli as Parimalinchu Punnamilo.

Legacy
Shankar Nag, who acted in the role of Raja, the humble auto driver, is credited with bringing a certain dignity to the profession of auto rickshaw drivers. Four decades after the movie release too, Shankar Nag's photo adorns auto rickshaws across Karnataka.