REVENGE: THE POTENT, POWERFUL MOTIVATOR

Someone said that “revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist.” Idealism is writ large on the face of that opinion. Many may argue that sweet revenge often douses raging fires; others too may claim that there is a certain joy and satisfaction in retribution.

“ಶಂಕರ್ ಗುರು” (‘Shankar Guru’) is a 1978 Kannada film, which gained huge popularity with the audiences; it was declared an ‘Industry Hit’ at the box office. The domestic drama, a bonanza on the musical pop-charts too, was remade in Hindi (Mahaan), Tamil (Thirisoolam) and Telugu (Kumara Raja).

Rajashekhar (Dr. Rajkumar) is a well-off businessman, who wants to create wealth ethically. His crooked partners intend to start an illegal idol smuggling racket, which creates a rift with Rajashekhar. But, in a quirky twist of fate, Rajashekhar murders one of the partners. So, he is forced to flee from the law enforcement authorities along with his pregnant wife, Sumathi (Kanchana). With the police hot on his heels, Rajashekhar unfortunately gets separated from Sumathi.

To evade arrest and prosecution, Rajashekhar changes his name to Jairaj and becomes a wealthy estate owner in far-off Kashmir. In due course, Sumathi too gives birth to Shankar (Dr. Rajkumar).

Many years roll by and Shankar’s lookalike, Guru (Dr. Rajkumar) pops up― a series of baffling, bamboozling situations arise for folks all around. A cute cocktail of ‘ARC-sequences’―action, romance & comedy― follows in the narrative.    

But, at the end of all the filmy frills and thrills, does the family reunite?

That sums up the movie.

V Somashekhar has directed a hodgepodge entertainer, which has thrills aplenty. The storyline is unique; it is the bedrock on which MD Sundar and Chi. Udaya Shankar, respectively the crew credited with screenplay and dialogues, have added enough creative content to suffuse the onscreen drama with standard potboiler fare. 

Music director Upendra Kumar’s work packs tons of zing. Set to lyrical compositions of Chi. Udaya Shankar, the music complements the visual elements of the flick. Dr. Rajkumar’s multi-faceted singing ability, notwithstanding the arguable imperfections on pitch, tune and pace to the purist, is apparent in the tracks. He could impart soul to his tone like few others.

Camerawork of R Madhusudan is nice― courtesy: locale choices. Despite technical excellence, R Bhaktavatsalam ought to have been not so lenient with clipping of footage. Film editing, often called the ‘invisible art’, is slack. Result: a movie that offers too much drag!

The acting versatility of Dr. Rajkumar is a highlight. Cast in a triple role, he is dominant with his larger-than-life screen presence. In the female lead roles, Jayamala and Padmapriya, up the ante on the film’s aesthetic appeal.

The film features a stellar galaxy of supporting actors― Kanchana, Balakrishna, Tiger Prabhakar, Vajramuni, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Uma Shivakumar, Sampath, Chandrasekhar and others. Vaishali Kasaravalli appears in a cameo.

Some hotshot writer said, ‘entertainment is a sacred pursuit, for it raises the quality of human life when done well’. Despite a few soap-opera-like moments, the film is kickass in its ‘Entertainment-Value’.

I rate this family drama: 8.5 on 10!