A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT PUTTANNA KANAGAL

The great Greek philosopher and polymath, Aristotle had observed: “All human actions have one or more of these SEVEN causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.” The list is interesting and insightful...so too the number SEVEN therein.
Days (in a week), notes (to the diatonic scale), colors (of the rainbow), maharishis, deadly sins, holy steps (to consecrating a Hindu marriage), subtle energies...myriad “lists of seven” exist in every culture. Numeral SEVEN– the biblical number of physical and spiritual completeness and perfection– surely dominates other numerals in symbolism. Little doubt then that it signifies good fortune too!
Perhaps numerological considerations played, sub-consciously or otherwise, on the minds of Rishab Shetty, the producer of the Kannada movie “ಕಥಾ ಸಂಗಮ (Katha Sangama – Confluence of Stories)”, for he put SEVEN disparate flicks into the cauldron of this “omnibus film”.The film, hold your breath, features in all 7 directors, 7 script-writers, 7 music directors, 7 editors, 7 lyricists, 7 cinematographers and 7 tracks.
A whole lot of SEVENs, eh?!
The eclectic anthology– made as an ode to one of Kannada's greatest film directors, Sri. Puttanna Kanagal, who had directed another film with the same name in the 1970s– has a few riveting masterpieces. The others are vague, far-fetched, melodramatic...and, even mediocre!
None of the SEVEN films though falls short on creative content or cinematic experience.
The star cast features the crème de la crème of Sandalwood. But, the performances of the marquee artists pale in comparison with that of Paravva in the seventh film. The subtle emotions and natural exuberance that she packs in her portrayal of Lacchavva– a rural woman lost in a metropolis– in the seventh story is a true gem!
Wish all SEVEN “shorties” had a common thematic construct binding them together! Nonetheless, plurality of plots and diversity of contexts too can be charming...and, compelling.
Katha Sangama is most definitely worth a watch!
MY RATING: What else but 7 on 10!
On second thoughts, I will bump it to 7.5, if only as a bonus for Paravva's performance.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE ALIEN AND THE INDIGENOUS

PEOPLE, NOT POWER, CORRUPT THE SYSTEM

THE THRILL OF THE PERFECT HEIST