Operation Diamond Racket

Operation Diamond Racket
DVD cover of the film
Directed byDorai–Bhagavan
Written byDorai–Bhagavan
Produced byDorai–Bhagavan
Starring
CinematographyP. S. Prakash
Edited byP. Bhaktavatsalam
Music byG. K. Venkatesh
Distributed byAnupam Movies
Release date
  • 11 August 1978 (1978-08-11)
Running time
165 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada

Operation Diamond Racket is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language action spy thriller film produced and directed by Dorai–Bhagavan. The film stars Rajkumar, alongside Padmapriya, Chandralekha, Vajramuni, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Tiger Prabhakar and M. B. Shetty. The music was composed by G. K. Venkatesh, while cinematography and editing were handled by P. S. Prakash and P. Bhaktavatsalam.

The film was the final film in the CID 999 Franchise created along the lines of the James Bond and James Bond – styled films.[1] The film was re-released in 2013.[2] This is the only colour film in the franchise and also the only film in the franchise to not feature Narasimharaju. It was dubbed in Hindi in 1983 as Jasoos 999.[3] A fifth film in the franchise titled Operation Golden Gang was announced but dropped owing to average response to this movie coupled with high budget for the sequel.[4][5]

The movie was shot in Nepal and became the first Kannada film to be shot outside India, but another Kannada film titled Singaporenalli Raja Kulla is widely credited as the film, which started the trend of Kannada films being shot outside India since it was shot in a country which is not an Indian neighbour.[6][7] The core plot of the film was based on Ian Fleming's novel Diamonds Are Forever.[8]

  1. ^ "Good opening for Operation Diamond Racket". The Times of India. 2 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Good opening for Operation Diamond Racket". The Times of India. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Jasoos 999 (1983) – Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Archived from the original on 3 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Popular characters that inspired superhit film series in Kannada". 17 April 2023.
  5. ^ "ಅಣ್ಣಾವ್ರ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೈದರಬಾದ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ 3 ದಿನ ಮೊದಲೇ ಟಿಕೆಟ್ ಬುಕಿಂಗ್ ಆಗಿತ್ತು | Naadu Kanda Rajkumar Ep-79". YouTube. 14 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Picture the song: 'If You Come Today' is more precious than all of Nirav Modi's diamonds". 20 February 2018.
  7. ^ App, Honalu (26 August 2022). "ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದ ಮೊದಲುಗಳು".
  8. ^ "Operation Diamond Racket". 23 December 2014.