Chitra Varga

In his doctrine espoused in 1769, English jurist Blackstone observed: ‘ it’s better that ten  guilty  persons escape than that one innocent suffer’ Miscarriage of justice is likely when adjudicators assess evidence with prejudiced minds or preconceived notions. “ ದಶಮುಖ ” (‘ Dashamukha ’, which translates to: ‘ Ten Faces ’) is a 2012 Kannada film. The  courtroom drama , penned by KV Raju, is inspired by the English film: ‘ 12 Angry Men’ ; it   received  more critical  r é clame  than popular applause The plot revolves around Agni (Chethan), who is the prime accused in a trial for the murder of his father. The judge (Ramesh Bhat) appoints ten prominent citizens as amici curiae to assist him in the adjudication process. The panel meets and deliberates over the guilt, or otherwise, of Agni, who has ocular and circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly against him in the case. Ravindranath (Ravichandran) is the only panelist who firmly thinks Agni is inno...

The American humorist Mark Twain opined: “ In Hinduism we have the attitude and spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together into a single family .” Much of the richness of philosophical thought in Hinduism stems from its sacred texts and the beautiful, bountiful myths therein. “ ಗಂಗೆ ಗೌರಿ ” ( Gange Gowri ) is a 1967 Kannada film based on the intricate story of mighty Lord Shiva’s wedlock with Goddesses Ganga and Gowri in their incarnations on earth.  The mythological drama was remade in Tamil ( Ganga Gowri ) . The story-telling of the movie is in the form of a traditional discourse to devotees; the narrator, a meta-theatrical character ( sutradhara ), has an interlocutory role in the prologue and intervenes periodically in the screenplay with his remarks. The narrative also features the story of King Daksha’s yajna (fire ritual) and Goddess Sati’s (Leelavathi) self-immolation.   The plot commences with Sage Narada (KS Ashwath) boosting Lord Sha...

The Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde said: ‘ Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious ’. Au contraire! Many surely will argue it is a virtue of the virtuous. “ ಆರ್ಯಭಟ ” (‘ Aryabhata ’) is a 1999 Kannada film that has the duty cast on the patriotic for its theme. The suspense thriller, a murder mystery, is based on renowned Tamil writer, Sujatha Rangarajan’s novel. In the opening sequence of the film, the murder of Anand (Ramesh Aravind), a reputed scientist and a moonshot inventor, is shown. The police are intrigued by the clues, which include a cryptic message written in blood next to the deceased. The investigation reveals Anand’s murky past and lamentable poverty-stricken struggles. The prime suspects in the murder case include Anand’s boss, Somashekar (Avinash); and, his wife, Bharati (Soundarya), besides the maid, a neighbor and a colleague. The lack of a strong motive and the existence of alibis for the suspects confound the woefully lost police. That is when CBI Off...

Integrity, it has been said, is choosing courage over corruption; and, that choice has to be an integral part of our culture…and, conscience! “ ಹೆಬ್ಬೆಟ್ ರಾಮಕ್ಕ ” (‘ Hebbet Ramakka’ , which translates loosely to ‘Thumb Ramakka’ ) is a 2018 Kannada  film; it was critically and commercially a mixed bag. The political drama though won a few laurels including the national award. Kalleshi (Devaraj), a small-time government contractor, struggles to make both ends meet because of rampant corruption. The fella grovels abjectly before authority to get his bills paid. His wife, Ramakka (Tara) is a diligent homemaker and the backbone of the family, which has two school-going children. One day opportunity comes knocking Kalleshi’s way; he props up his illiterate wife as a ruling party candidate for the local election and gets her appointed as the president. His obvious plan is to serve as a proxy for naive Ramakka and to become a crony, power broker. How does the plan pan out then...

Some thinkers have said that ‘ fortune sides with the one who dares ’; others have said ‘ fortune favors the prepared mind ’. None though has talked about how to make a quick fortune. “ ಪುಷ್ಪಕ ವಿಮಾನ ” (‘ Pushpaka Vimana’ , which literally means: ‘ Flower Aircraft ’) is a 1987 Indian   film, which was simultaneously released in several languages― Hindi (‘ Pushpak ’); Tamil (‘ Pesum Padam ’); Telugu (‘ Pushpaka Vimanamu ’); and, Malayalam (‘ Pushpak Vimanam ’).   The critically lauded flick became a  ‘sleeper hit’  commercially. The dialogue-free film, a dark comedy, received scores of awards in the Kannada language category, including the National Film Award for providing wholesome entertainment The plot revolves around a penniless, unemployed graduate (Kamal Hassan), who kidnaps a wealthy alcoholic (Samir Khakhar); keeps the abducted alcoholic in captivity; and, takes over his identity. The rich man’s wife (Ramya) has an extramarital affair; her paramour (Prat...

It has been said that taming the ego is vital to awaken the soul. Indeed…a tamed ego also softens the heart, and, sharpens the mind. “ ಉಪೇಂದ್ರ ” (‘ Upendra ’) is a 1999 Kannada film that delves on the war against one’s ego. The psychological thriller was a commercial hit; in fact, it has such an ardent fan following that many movie-buffs feel it is a cult classic. The flick also won a bunch of awards. The movie begins with betala (a hobgoblin-like paranormal being) narrating a tale to Vikramaditya (Arun Govil), a legendary emperor of ancient India, who was known for his wisdom, courage, generosity and patronage of scholars. The story is about Naanu (Upendra), the roguish, selfish male protagonist, who hates hypocrisy and is honest to a fault. Naanu manages to get into romantic relationships with three women― Rathi (Damini), Swathi (Prema) and Kirthi (Raveena Tandon). All three ladies vie for Naanu’s affections; he is compulsively obsessed about the richest of them all, Kirthi. Naanu t...

Benjamin Disraeli, the British statesman called justice as ‘ truth in action ’. Extending his quote, dharma , that is, the ‘righteous duty’ cast on people, is “ truth, justice and sacrifice in action ”. “ ಸತ್ಯ ಹರಿಶ್ಚಂದ್ರ ” (‘ Satya Harishchandra ’) is a 1965 B&W Kannada film about a mythical king whose life exemplified the discharge of dharma, and deference to the duty of ‘upholding the truth’ cast thereunder. The flick is based on ‘ Harishchandra Kavya ’, the literary masterpiece of the poet, Raghavanka, who lived during the 12 th and 13 th centuries CE in the Hoysala kingdom. It is widely recognized to be a landmark in the history of Kannada movie industry. The fabled story is about Raja Harishchandra (Dr. Rajkumar), a monarch widely renowned as just and honest. To be true to his word and to atone for the sin of disrupting Sage Vishwamitra’s (Udaykumar) penance, the noble king abdicates his kingdom; he goes on an exile with his wife, Chandramathi (Pandari Bai) and son, Lohit...

Justice is the bedrock on which society and its institutions are established. That bedrock exists on the substratum of truth. So, if that substratum is ruined, then all of society, painstakingly built, gets razed down. “ ನ್ಯಾಯವೇ ದೇವರು ” (‘ Nyayave Devaru’ , which translates to: ‘ Justice is God ’ ) is a 1971 Indian Kannada film, which has truth and justice as its thematic core. The romantic drama― it also had courtroom drama integrated into the narrative― was critically acclaimed; it yielded a box-office bonanza for its producers. Raghu (Dr. Rajkumar), a law student, hails from a family of famous, affluent jurists. He falls in love with his classmate, Shanti (B Saroja Devi), a bashfully reticent girl and, on top, a statuesque beauty from an impoverished family. Raghu’s father, Chandrashekaraiah (KS Ashwath) disapproves of the match. Unbeknownst to Raghu, Chandrashekaraiah meets Shanti and beseeches her to forsake the alliance in order to uphold his family prestige and rep...

It is often said that a call-girl sells her body only to those who have sold their morals . The sale takes place in a society that trades its soul. “ ಮಸಣದ ಹೂವು ” (‘ Masanada Hoovu ’, literally: ‘ Flower of (a) Graveyard ’) is a 1985 Kannada flick, based on a novel of TR Subba Rao (TaRaSu), a literary giant . The movie deservingly won the applause of critics and appreciation of audiences; it received ample awards too. The gut-wrenching, conscience-stirring drama was genius Puttanna Kanagal’s last directorial endeavor; his longtime associate, KSL Swamy completed it. Tara Devi (Jayanthi), a brothel-keeper, has the high and mighty of society as her clientele. Once she lends money to desperate Singaru (Ambareesh), who becomes her pimp and Man Friday out of gratitude. One day, a human trafficker sells Parvathy (Aparna), a teenaged, statuesque beauty, to Tara Devi, who forces her into the flesh trade. As a high-society call-girl, Parvathy is always in demand. Singaru develops a soft corner f...

Someone said that there is always madness in love. Little wonder, then, that lunacy drives lovers to lie…and, to commit crime too. But, what if the love is infatuation, or, unrequited attraction, a fixation? “ ಅಮೃತವರ್ಷಿಣಿ ” (‘ Amruthavarshini ’, which literally means, ‘ One who Showers the Elixir of Immortality ’) is a 1997 Kannada romantic drama, which won widespread critical admiration and received a slew of awards. The film was a musical blockbuster too. A commercial success, the flick was remade in Malayalam (‘ Mazhavillu’ ) ; it was dubbed into Tamil (‘ Uyirinum Melaaga ’) and Telugu (‘ Amruthavarshini ’). Hemanth (Sharath Babu), who works for an advertising agency, is married happily to Veena (Suhasini). One day, Abhishek Bharadwaj (Ramesh Aravind), a poet and Hemanth's childhood friend, visits them. Abhishek is depressed due to the tragic death of his fiancée , Shruthi (Nivedita Jain). Veena bears a freaky, uncanny resemblance to Shruthi; so, Abhishek begins to love Shruthi ...

Celia Fremlin, the mystery fiction writer, equated infatuation with a ‘ love that is inconvenient to go on with ’. But, sometimes, inconvenient love refuses to go away. “ ವಿಮುಕ್ತಿ ” (‘ Vimukthi ’, which means: ‘ Redemption ’) is a 2010 Kannada flick that delves on that theme of incestuous infatuation; it received a battery of awards, including the prestigious National Award. The movie was appreciated by critics and has the Neo-Freudian psycho-sexual theory of ‘Electra complex’ for its plot. Madhavi (Bhavana) is the only daughter of Keshava Rao (Ramakrishna), an artist proficient in the traditional art of Mysore paintings. Deprived of motherly love early in her life, Madhavi develops a strange, unresolved attraction for her father and yearns sub-consciously for his unconditional love. Madhavi’s relationship with her husband, Vibhin (Aravind G), is strained― courtesy: her clouded and cluttered psychological frame of mind. She becomes obsessively possessive and regressively jealous,...

It has been said that ‘to vice, innocence must seem like a kind of trickery’ . At times though, when innocence collides with hard reality, the result is a tragedy. “ ಧರ್ಮ ದಾರಿ ತಪ್ಪಿತು ”― ‘ Dharma Daari Tappitu ’, which translates to: ‘ Righeousness Lost (its) Way ’― is a 1982 Kannada film which has a theme of ‘the ingenuous meets the devious’. Critics appreciated the movie, which won a few state awards too. Narsaiah (MV Vasudeva Rao) works as the caretaker of a traveler’s bungalow. Though afflicted with a speech disorder, his young daughter, Putti (Jayanthi) is grace, charm and beauty personified. Endowed with a captivating smile, she has a childlike innocence about her. Krishna (Shankar Nag), a physically challenged young man, dreams of marrying Putti. Guests at the inn too find Putti attractive. One stormy night, Putti is sexually attacked during a power outage. Unable to scream, she fails to ward off the assault. The lodgers that fateful evening include Ratnakara (Srinath), a ri...