THE MEAN MIGHT OF MORALITY IN SOCIETY

Political economist John Stuart Mill said, “He who does anything because it is a custom, makes no choice.” As much biting ‘n barbed that observation is as it is sharp and sagacious!

“ಘಟಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ” (‘Ghatashraddha’, which means: ‘(The) Ritual’) is a 1977 Kannada flick about the customary ostracism of a widow by a society shrouded in orthodoxy…all because of her carnal indiscretions. Based on a novella penned by eminent author and Jnanpith Awardee, UR Ananthamurthy, the drama is a landmark in the ‘Parallel Cinema’ movement of India.

Set in the early 20^th Century, the flick no doubt belongs to a glorious era of ‘neo-realism’ in the Kannada film industry. Critics went gung-ho over the movie, which sent juries into raptures too. Little wonder then that it won worldwide acclaim and a spate of awards, including the national award for Best Feature Film.

Udupa (Ramaswamy Iyengar) teaches the Hindu scriptures in his rickety, ramshackle school, which is passing through difficult times. His widowed daughter, Yamuna (Meena Kuttappa) develops a special bond with homesick Nani (Ajith Kumar), an innocent student from a distant village in Udupa’s residential school.

In the prime of her youth, Yamuna is seduced by Shastri (Narayana Bhat), a teacher. Soon she becomes pregnant from the surreptitious dalliance and sexual indiscretions. Nani unwittingly spills the beans on the intimate liaison and the news spreads like wildfire. Conservative elders within the local community excommunicate Yamuna, who survives a perilous abortion.

Angry Udupa too performs the funeral rites of his living daughter, a cathartic reaction to his loss of face due to Yamuna’s prurient acts and transgression of prevalent rigid sexual code. The climax is an indictment of ossified traditions and prudishness in society.

The flick heralds a watershed moment in genius Girish Kasaravalli’s long and illustrious directorial career; it marked the arrival of a film-maker par excellence. His story-telling style is simple, yet sound. The screenplay accentuates the poignancy of the plot. The narrative brims with many arrows from his bountiful quiver of directorial brilliance.

BV Karanth’s music is mellifluent; it won him the national award. S Ramachandra’s camerawork is remarkable― angles are plain vanilla; yet, his moving frame engages and captivates. Editing of Umesh Kulkarni is sharp.

Everyone in the cast has put in creditable performances. The portrayals extraordinaire are indubitably those of Meena Kuttappa and Ajith Kumar though.

The social drama reminds the viewer of renowned Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s words: “To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.”  

I rate this socio-domestic drama: 8.5 on 10!