Chitra Varga

It is well-settled today that dowry, dower and bride price are social scourges. These practices are prevalent even today; but, they were rampant the world over in a time and age not so long ago. “ ರಾಯರ ಸೊಸೆ ” (' Rayara Sose ', which translates literally to: ' Master's daughter-in-law ') is a 1957 Kannada film, which denounces the practice of dowry. The drama uses a good deal of wit and humour in the narrative to drive home the point. Lakshmi (Mynavathi) is sent back to her parental home because her miserly father-in-law, Raaya (H Ramachandra Shastry) has not received the promised dowry. Lakshmi's husband, Aravinda (Kalyan Kumar) is devastated; but, he does not muster enough courage to either confront his father, or go against the diktat. That is when Aravinda's doctor friend (Rajkumar) comes to the rescue. The doctor and his wife, Geeta (Pandari Bai), hatch a plot not only to get the estranged couple together; but, also to teach Raaya a lesson. Di...

Prejudices are deep-rooted in every community...be it, color-, caste-, creed- or class-based! It is paradoxical though that in India the establishment perpetuates caste system in every walk of life. " ಶಂಖ ನಾದ " (' Shankha Nada ', which translates to: ' Tone of the Conch ') is a 1986 award-winning, critically-acclaimed Kannada movie based on writer, Dr. AV Vani's literary work. The political drama has peaceful class struggle and political equality as its theme; it uses satire to dramatise the story-telling. The flick starts with a government servant instructing Shekhara Sampige (Ramesh Bhat) to obtain a caste certificate from the Panchayat office in his home town of Sampige. Shekhara visits the village and meets the panchayat chairman, Dasayya (Aravind), who belongs to an under-privileged section of the local community. Despite heading the local administration, Dasayya, and his wife Yenki (Abhinaya), are routinely subjected to oppression and discrim...

The American film actor, Grace Kelly is believed to have said: “ The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens. ” Indeed that pithily summarises the special status that the pearl enjoys in ornamentation. " ಒಂದು ಮುತ್ತಿನ ಕಥೆ " (' Ondu Muttina Kathe ', which means: “ Tale of a Pearl ”) is a 198 7 Kannada film, which is loosely based on Nobel laureate John Steinbeck's 1947 novella,  The Pearl, which was itself inspired by a Mexican folk tale . The flick has a brilliant narrative and is considered to be a cult classic in Kannada cinema. Aith u ( Rajkumar ) i s a pearl hunter from a tightly-knit tribal community along the coast of Karnataka. He and the others from the tribe retrieve pearls by free-diving. They sell the pearls that they gather to a local trader, Mahabala (Mukhyamantri Chandru), who exploits them. Nonetheless, Aithu, along with his wife, Kaaki (Archana) and child, leads a contented life in harmony with the other tribals. On a tempestuo...

The Canadian poet, Atticus said poignantly that depression is akin to ' being colour blind and constantly told how colourful the world is.' “ ಆಘಾತ " (' Aaghaata ' , which means: “Shock” ) is a 1995 Kannada  film, which has depression for its theme. The psychological drama is based on Dr. Ashok Pai, a practising psychiatrist's novel. Critics and movie buffs received the film well. Usha (Sruti) is going steady with her classmate Vikas (Srikant) unbeknownst to her conservative family. Her father, a retired teacher, tries to get her hitched to a successful, US-based engineer. Vikas intervenes to ensure that the matrimonial alliance falls apart; but soon, he deserts Usha when his domineering father demands dowry from the girl's family. Dumped Usha goes into depression; but, after counselling, she joins a charitable organisation dedicated to ecological preservation. She soon loses her heart again to Francis (Suresh Heblikar), the head of the outfit. As a q...

The English Writer, Alan Moore opined: “We need a bedrock of story and legend in order to live our lives...” Indeed mythology is arguably the icing on the cake of art and literature. “ ಮಹಿಷಾಸುರ ಮರ್ದಿನಿ " (' Mahishasura Mardini ', which translates to: ' Slayer of Demon Mahisha '), is a 1959 Kannada film, which consigns to celluloid one of India's most enchanting legends. This timeless classic was dubbed into several languages. It was a commercial success too! The lead character, the demon Mahisha (Rajkumar)– born from the union of demon Rambha (Udaykumar) with a water buffalo– ingratiates Lord Brahma after a protracted period of penance. The Lord grants the demon a boon, by virtue of which neither man nor animal could kill him. Thence, believing to have become invincible and immortal, Mahisha wages a war against celestial beings and subdues them. The demon then terrorises all beings in the world and subjects them to his tyrannical rule. At their wit'...

The English statesman, Sir Francis Bacon observed philosophically: “ Money is a great servant, but a bad master. ” “ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕರ್ ಮಾರ್ಗಯ್ಯ ” (' Banker Margayya ') is a 198 3 Kannada  film, which is based on RK Narayan's novel, 'The Financial Expert'. The drama not only received rave reviews, but also won a host of awards. The flick deals with the ups and downs in the life and fortunes of a shrewd, streetwise money lender, Margayya (Lokesh). But, consequent to a quirky twist of fate, Margayya loses all his wealth and is reduced to penury. Thanks to a chance meeting with a happy-go-lucky Dr. Pal (Sundar Krishna Urs), Margayya publishes a sex manual. The pornographic book sells like hot cakes and Margayya begins to roll in money again. An ugly fallout of the newfound success is that Margayya's teenaged son, Balu (Sundar Raj) also gets hold of a copy. He soon loses interest in studies; becomes rebellious and takes to an amorous, decadent life. Margayya becomes a...

  “ They tried to bury us; they did not know we were the seeds ”! That Mexican proverb has a pertinent message in the backdrop of women's emancipation. " ಜಟ್ಟ " (' Jatta '), a 2013 Kannada film delves into prevalent perceptions about the stereotyping of women. The suspense thriller, which won widespread critical acclaim, uses the clash of cultures as the context for its narrative. The male protagonist of the suspense thriller is Jatta (Kishore), a forest ranger. He is leading a secluded life deep in the forest... alone, for his wife, Belli (Pavana) has eloped with a tourist. The incident has shattered him and he is a mental wreck; so, he falls easy prey to the propaganda of male chauvinists, who radicalise him. Jatta rescues an inebriated young lady, Sagarika (Sukrutha Wagle) from a car crash. It is an opportunity for him to reform Sagarika and make her traditional in her beliefs and behavior. So he chains her in his shack. But, Sagarika turns out to be mo...

It is often said that government is at its worst when it shows apathy and indifferenc e towards citizens and their problems. With babu s and bureaucracy firmly ensconced in place, incompetence too is an added bane in India. “ ತಬರನ ಕಥೆ " (' Tabarana Kathe ', which translates to: ' Tabara's Tale ') is a 1987 Kannada film that critics went into ecstasies over. The social drama, based on renowned writer, Poornachandra Tejaswi's short story of the same name, is a sad indictment of governance. Little wonder then that it won awards aplenty! The central character of the movie, Tabara (Charuhasan), a peon in the local municipal office of pre-independence India, appears to have become insane. His diabetic wife, Appi (Nalini Murthy) has a wound on her foot, which needs surgical intervention. But the childless couple is too poor to afford the medical expenses. So Tabara, a retiree, hopes to dip into his pension funds. That sets in motion for Tabara a saga of s...