LORD SHIVA'S TRANSITION TO SHANKARA, THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

The American writer, Mark Twain raved with eloquence: “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition.” Indeed! She is the second great grandmother of literature too.

"ಪಾರ್ವತಿ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ" ('Parvathi Kalyana', meaning: 'Parvati's Wedding'), is a 1967 Kannada film, a mythological masterpiece based on the Puranas, which are repositories of traditional lore. Puranic chronicles give captivating accounts, perhaps creatively embellished too, of events in the lives of divine beings from the Hindu pantheon and their interactions with humans.

This B&W film starts with Narada (Udaykumar) informing Lord Shiva's consort, Sati (Chandrakala) about a yajñá (fire sacrifice) that her father, Daksha-Prajapati has arranged. Lord Shiva (Rajkumar), a persona non grata, is not invited to the ceremonial event, because Daksha has contemptuous animosity for him. Yet, naive Sati, with filial love clouding her judgment, shows up for the yajñá uninvited. Daksha humiliates her. Unable to bear the spiteful reception, Sati immolates herself by jumping into the sacred pyre.

Infuriated Shiva invokes his fierce alter ego, Veerabhadra, and orders him to wreck havoc at the yajñá. A captured Daksha later begs the Lord for mercy. Grief-stricken Shiva vows not to remarry though. He withdraws from society austerely and retires to the mountains reclusively.

In the meantime, the demon Taraka (MP Shankar) ingratiates God Brahma, who bestows upon him the boon of invincibility...with the exception that Lord Shiva's son can vanquish him. Thus, virtually immortal, Taraka terrorizes humans and Gods alike. The Gods seeks the help of Goddess Shakti, who takes birth as Parvati (Pandari Bai), the daughter of Parvata and a reincarnation of Sati. In due course, Parvati wishes to wed Shiva. Her parents, the Saptarishis (the seven sages) dissuade Parvati. Discouragement notwithstanding, she is steadfast in her desire; she resolutely demonstrates devotion in her meditative trance for propitiating and marrying the Lord.

But, Lord Shiva himself, deep in meditation, poses an impediment. So, the God of lust and passion, Kama is entrusted with the task of playing Cupid to awaken the meditating Lord. Kama disturbs the Lord; but the conspiracy backfires. With his penance disrupted, the Almighty opens his third eye and reduces Kama to ashes. Nonetheless, awakened from his reverie, the Lord is drawn towards Parvati's devotion and devoutness.

The rest of the narrative deals with the Lord's efforts to test Parvati's love for him. In the disguise of an ascetic, He vilifies himself and highlights his own weaknesses and personality defects...if only to subject the Goddess to a Litmus test.

Is Goddess Parvati's resoluteness dented? Do They tie the nuptial knot and beget a son? Finally, does the demon, Taraka get slayed?

The sub-plots in the story make for a rich tapestry of multiple, intricately-woven threads, which lead to an enchanting climax. Director BS Ranga's story-telling style is spell-binding; screenplay is fast-moving. Veterans Rajkumar, Pandari Bai, Udaykumar, MP Shankar et al, are all at their vintage best. Writer, Chi Sadashivaiah's dialogues are vivid; they lend vivacity to the screenplay. Virtuoso GK Venkatesh's musical score is splendid.

The film is not bereft of technical chinks though. To begin with, it is too long for the Gen-Next. Then, the camerawork is pretty plain and simple. Yet, the drama is a cinematic treat for the truly patient, discerning movie buff.

The final say: The wizardry of the puranic authors, who penned such fantastic and fascinating fables, is incredibly MIND-BOGGLING!

I give this classic drama a harsh 8.5 on 10!

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