EARN MONEY, DON'T BEG FOR DOWRY

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.

Directors R Ramamurthy and KS Murthy have captured on celluloid a lovely, exhilerating movie aimed at social reform. A large part of the credit surely goes to the writer, P Gundu Rao. The dramatisation is very theatrical, which is idiomatic of films from that period. The music of R Diwakara is delectable, delightful. Legendary playback singer, S Janaki lent her voice for to a Kannada song for the first time in this movie.

The cast, comprising of greats like Rajkumar, Kalyan Kumar, Pandari Bai and others, has delivered tremendous performances. In particular, the light-hearted banter between Rajkumar and Kalyan Kumar is sure to tickle your funny bone.

The flick surely is a classic from a time when film makers were idealists, who were conscious of the power of cinema and made conscientious efforts to reform society through the medium.

I rate this romantic drama: 8.0 on 10!

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