A PANDEMIC, STIGMA AND THE NEED FOR SOCIETAL EQUANIMITY

The American author, William Ellery Channing, wrote solemnly: “The great hope of society is in individual character.” He missed the mark a tad with that one, for, on the flip side, the great hope of every individual is societal character!

'ಬಂಗಾರದ ಹೂವು' (“Bangarada Hoovu”, meaning, 'Golden Flower') is a 1967 award-winning Kannada language film that deals with the theme of stigmatization of leprosy. The flick was critically acclaimed; it met with great commercial success too.

Anand (Rajkumar), the male protagonist and a government servant, knows Latha (Shylashri) since childhood. Unbeknownst to the former, Latha loves Anand. But, Anand gets romantically involved with Seetha (Kalpana), his friend's sister. When wedding bells are about to ring for the two, Seetha goes down with leprosy. So, she declines to marry, given the shame and stigma associated with the disease.

Anand's kith and kin, believing leprosy to be incurable, pressurize him to marry Latha. That sets the stage for the climax suffused with trauma and tumult; some melodrama too being in the mix.

Matinee idol Rajkumar is at his usual gilt-edged best. Kalpana is restrained too; the supporting cast too is fine and dandy in the dramatics. The screenplay and direction of BA Arasu Kumar are above par. On technical merit, the film is passable.

The music composition of the Rajan-Nagendra duo is über-super-duper. The chart-busting tracks– penned by the legendary lyricists, Chi. Udaya Shankar and Vijaya Narasimha– extend over a wide spectrum on the melody-rhythm scales. These are sure to precipitate in every listener scads of warmth and serenity; joy and cheer!

The movie is wholesome in its entertainment quotient– it has fun 'n frolic; soul 'n schmaltz; and, a message to society...all in good measure.

My rating: 8.5 on 10!

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