Chitra Varga

Dale Carnegie, the American motivational writer, said that the man who goes farthest is the one who is willing to do and dare .   That profound thought applies to as mundane, but momentous a pursuit in life as finding love. Unexpressed love indeed becomes unrequited love often. Hence it is vital not only to dare, but also to declare that love. No flippancy there!  “ ಶ್ರಾವಣಿ ಸುಬ್ರಮಣ್ಯ ” (‘ Shravani Subramanya ’) is a 2013 Kannada film that had the cash registers ringing relentlessly. A blockbuster, the romantic comedy garnered plaudits galore and gained an award or two as well.   Shravani (Amulya) is a naïve, dewy-eyed girl in love. She elopes with Sudeep (Yashas), who, it turns out, is a goon with ulterior motives and nefarious designs. Subramanya (Ganesh), an aspiring singer with dreams of making it big in the music industry, arrives in the nick of time as a knight in shining armour and rescues Shravani from the clutches of Sudeep. When Shravani returns home though...

The Doctrine of Lapse was as devious a formula as it was ingenious devised for  the British to reclaim paramountcy and usurp direct control over subordinate princely states in pre-independence India. Under the ploy of regulating succession, the British annexed states of monarchs who died without natural heirs. Thus, the doctrine was aimed at regaining direct superintendence over states for imperial gain. “ ಕಿತ್ತೂರು ಚೆನ್ನಮ್ಮ ” (‘ Kitturu Chennamma’ ) is a 1961 Kannada film that featured the freedom struggle of the Queen of Kittur, who rebelled and defiantly went to war against the British in 1824 CE. The historical drama won several awards, including the National Award for Best Feature Film  in Kannada. As a commercial venture, the period flick attained great success; critics raved over it too. Rani Chennamma (B Saroja Devi) was trained in archery, fencing, horse riding and other martial arts at an early age. She married Raja Mallasarja (Dr. Rajkumar) in 1793 and begot a so...

Adam Smith, the Scottish pioneer of Political Economics, observed: “The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations.” But, he perhaps forgot that often aspirational poverty is itself a product of personal finances, familial compulsions and societal structure. “ ಪ್ರವಾಹ ” (‘ Pravāha ’, which means ‘ Flood ’) is a 2004 Kannada film, which explores the link between rural poverty and urban influx. It also delves into the exploitation of the under-privileged and the reasons for rapid urbanization. The social drama found favour with critics; it won awards and garnered accolades too. Marappa (Achyuth Kumar), a village potter, is in the clutches of local loan-sharks and landlords. He struggles to eke out a living with his hereditary profession, because the demand for his clayware is on the wane. In the ebb and flow of life, Marappa’s wife, Ramakka (Mangala) and son, Siddarama (Rohith Bhat) also bear the brunt of penury. Marappa’s traditional craft of pottery too is on th...

“ A thriller is a very carefully structured story, ” wrote a well-known crime writer. In stark contrast, a potboiler offers enough thrills despite its unstructured, and often hackneyed, story. “ ಸಿಂಗಪೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜ ಕುಳ್ಳ ” (‘ Singapoorinalli Raja Kulla ’, which translates to: ‘ Raja Kulla in Singapore ’) is a 1978 Kannada film that turned out to be a whopper of a success at the box-office. The action thriller started the trend in Kannada films of shooting at exotic locales overseas; it was a musical blockbuster too film. Shivaraj (Loknath) and Junie (Thoogudeepa Srinivas) are underworld kingpins in Singapore; both are into diamond smuggling and a host of other nefarious activities. Needless to say, they are on the radar of law enforcement authorities. Detective Venu a.k.a. Kulla (Dwarakish) is entrusted with the task of bringing the hoodlums to justice. Pop-singer Raja (Vishnuvardhan) gets acquainted with Gopinath Rao (Shakti Prasad), a wealthy man into some shady stuff. Tara (Man...

“ The battle lines between good and evil runs through the heart of every man, ” wrote the Russian novelist and Nobel laureate, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. That deep, dramatic thought has a philosophical angle; but it reflects reality. “ ಕಿರಿಕ್ ಪಾರ್ಟಿ ” (‘ Kirik Party ’) is a 2016 Kannada film is based on that theme. The romantic comedy-drama won a bunch of awards and was critically well received. A resounding success at the box-office, the movie was remade in Telugu ( Kirrak Party ). Karna (Rakshit Shetty), the male protagonist, enrolls for an engineering degree. In his first year, he gangs up with his hostel mates for some monkey business on campus; and, lots of fun and frolic follows with all the mischief around. Amidst lots of levity, frivolity and pleasantry, Karna befriends his senior, Sanvi (Rashmika Mandanna), who is the daughter of a strict, senior police officer . Half the college is mad though about the beautiful bombshell. Karna too takes a fancy for Sanvi, who gradually ...

The Chinese despot, Mao Zedong said: “Politics is war without bloodshed; while war is politics with bloodshed.” Often enough politics too entails some bloodshed. “ ಕಂಬಾಲಹಳ್ಳಿ ” (‘ Kambalahalli ’) is a 2002 Kannada film that portrays the shady, sordid side of politics. Based on a story penned by well-known politician, Munirathna, it draws inspiration from real-world incidents in Karnataka politics. The political drama features power-hungry conduct of people’s representatives; it received a mixed bag of reactions from critics. Doddegowda (Doddanna) and Ramakrishna Adiga ( GK Govinda Rao) are local political honchos of Kambalahalli. The two tyrannical leaders are at loggerheads with each other. Brahmayya (Mukhyamantri Chandru), a rice mill owner and ally of both the bigwigs, opportunistically exploits the local populace for personal gain. Come election time though, Brahmayya brokers peace between the powerful rivals. Mallanna (Devaraj), a resident of the village, who is forced int...