RISING IN LIFE BY FALLING IN LOVE

As someone rightly observed, ‘the higher you build walls around your heart, the harder you fall when someone tears them down’. “ಲಗ್ನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆ” (‘Lagna Patrike’, which means “Wedding Card”), a 1967 Kannada film has its plot based on that sentiment. The romantic comedy was a musical blockbuster; it did well at the box office too.

The male protagonist, Raghu (Raj Kumar) is an ardent devotee of Lord Hanumantha. Having taken a vow of celibacy, he tries to impress upon others the virtues of his path and even attempts to influence all and sundry into adopting lives of austerity, but without much success. His friends and family pester him to get married.

All of Raghu’s prudish virtue signaling comes to naught when Sita (Jayanthi) enters his life. Raghu’s aversion soon turns into passion and that paves the way for a laugh riot.  

Directed by KSL Swamy, a legend of Kannada films, the flick is a lighthearted comedy, albeit slapstick at times. Chi Udaya Shankar, yet another silver screen stalwart, has the credits for the story, dialogues and screenplay. The camerawork is simple and straightforward; it is devoid of complex views and angles― typical of old-school, stage-like films.

The musical score of the movie is by the legendary Vijay Bhaskar. His compositions, set to lyrics of Chi Udaya Shankar, are evergreen classics. In particular, the popular track ‘Seenu Subbu’ has foot-tapping music.

Rajkumar and Jayanthi are both TERRIFIC in the lead roles. The movie introduced doyens Shivaram, Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Chi Udaya Shankar (as an actor) to the film world. Narasimharaju, Dwarakish, BV Radha and others have lent excellent support. Srinath and Gangadhar appear in cameos too.

I rate this romantic comedy: 8.0 on 10, in part, due to its outstanding music!


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