MOKSHA THROUGH DEVOTION TO GOD & DEDICATION AT WORK
Sanatana Dharma is much more
than plain vanilla faith; it is a belief system that gives one the liberty to
connect with his Maker in his own personal way. It represents the diverse
spiritual thought; rich cultural legacy; and, long civilizational history of
India. Its sacred texts are a stockpile of ancient knowledge; a repository of timeless
wisdom.
The Bhakti Movement marks a phase
during medieval times when many a saint adopted the path of devotion to the
Supreme as a means for achieving moksha. Regimented ritualism was taboo
for them.
Sant Gora Kumbhar (also Goroba) was one such saint, who lived in Satyapuri village in Maharashtra State, circa 1267 CE to 1317 CE. A contemporary of Namdev and a potter by profession, Goroba was ardently devoted to Lord Vithala.
“à²à²•್ತ ಕುಂಬಾರ” (‘Bhakta
Kumbara’― it translates to: ‘(The) Devout
Potter’) is a 1974 Kannada biographical film, which won awards by the
dozen; the film which chronicles the life of the saint was a blockbuster hit at
the box office and was remade in Telugu (Chakradhari).
The
narrative shows Gora (Dr. Rajkumar) leading a simple life in blissful marriage
with his wife (Leelavathi). He accidentally stomps on and kills his child,
while deeply engrossed in the chanting of the God’s name. The mishap starts a
saga of ill-fated events in the pious man’s familial life. Despite the turmoil
and turbulence in his life, Goroba retains faith in the Lord.
The
direction and screenplay of Hunsur Krishnamurthy, a veritable legend of
the celluloid world of Karnataka, is DELIGHTFUL. The elating, exhilarating music
of genius GK Venkatesh complements the narrative nicely. The chartbusting musical
compositions set to lyrics penned by Hunsur Krishnamurthy and Chi. Udaya Shankar
are all-time classics. The cinematography is divested of too much
complexity; the editing has slackness that could have been avoided.
Matinee
idol, Dr. Rajkumar’s silky soft and tender rendition in the lead role is
OUTSTANDING. The support of Leelavathi, Balakrishna, Manjula, Vajramuni,
Sampath, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, and others is up to snuff. The film features
Sridevi as a child artiste.
I rate this 1970s biopic, a historical drama: 9.0 on 10!
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