FAMILY: THE STEADY, STURDY ROCK IN LIFE

The Roman philosopher Seneca observed profoundly: “Wealth is the slave of a wise man; the master of a fool.” “ನಂದ ಗೋಕುಲ” (“Nanda Gokula”, which is figuratively, “(a) Joy-Filled House”) is a 1972 Kannada film, which laced the poignant thought into its theme. The family drama won plaudits for the social values it espoused and presented on celluloid, albeit with the customary share of amped up theatrics and jazzed up dialogues.

Sridhar (Ramesh) is a medical student hailing from a tight-knit family of limited means. In due course he becomes a doctor, thanks to the sacrifice of his younger brother, Anand (Dr. Rajkumar), who is in a relationship with Jaya (Jayanthi). Yet, Sridhar deserts his kith and kin to marry Mohini (BV Radha), the daughter of a rich business tycoon. Eventually, wiser counsel prevails on him and he reunites with his family.

YR Swamy’s direction has in its typical narrative all the ingredients of a 1960s family flick― large servings of tension ‘n emotion; and, many scenes of gravity ‘n frivolity too. A tad too soap-opera-like, the screenplay of YR Swamy and Chi. Udaya Shankar has myriad moments of melodramatic madness. Yet, the mix of mirth and melancholy in the story-telling has a certain magical charm about it.

The dialogues of Chi Udaya Shankar are apt; the convoluted narration tends to lose its grip though, if only because of the yo-yo-like storyline of fortunes and misfortunes. The movie is a musical extravaganza though. Music Director Vijaya Bhaskar compositions are melodious; the lyrics memorable. On technical merit, the movie is just about run-of-the-mill.

The lead actors, Dr. Rajkumar and Jayanthi have put up performances extraordinaire; their on-screen chemistry is delectable― it is sure to give you the warm fuzzies. Dwarakish provides comic relief. The rest of the stellar supporting cast consists of Ramesh, KS Ashwath, Sampath, Balakrishna, MN Lakshmi Devi, Vijayasree, Shakti Prasad, Dinesh, Srinath, et al.

The movie is a reminder of what George Bernard Shaw, the great Irish playwright said: “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”

I rate this social, domestic drama: 7.5 on 10!

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