FEAR AND IGNORANCE FUEL BLIND BELIEF

Edmund Burke, the Irish statesman and philosopher, was on point when he declared emphatically that superstition is the faith of feeble minds. Besides it also indicates a lack of judgment in the superstitious.  

“ಕುಬಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇಯಾಲ” (‘Kubi Mattu Iyala’, which translates to: ‘Kubi and Iyala’) is a 1992 Kannada film about blind beliefs of common folk in a remote village. Based on a story penned by literary giant, Poornachandra Tejaswi, the drama won several awards; critics too gave it their thumbs-up.

The protagonist, Dr. Kubera, or for short, Dr. Kubi (Charuhasan), a diligent ex-military doctor, is assigned to the ramshackle healthcare centre at Byrapura, a small hamlet out in the wilderness. Shrouded in superstition, the locals seem to be stuck in a time warp― they live in primal fear of angering the spirit believed to be hidden in a huge boulder nearby.

A bemused Kubi, an idealistic rationalist, takes it upon himself to bust the myth and inculcate the villagers with scientific fervor. Ramaraya (Raghubir Yadav), his eccentric paramedical assistant and local opinion leader, spreads the word that Dr. Kubi is omnipotent and capable of curing any ailment.

On his part, Dr. Kubi works earnestly to extricate the green folks from the dark dungeon of ignorance and bring them into the bright radiance of knowledge. He persists religiously to get the overhanging boulder removed.

But then, heroes too have feet of clay, right?

So, fresh trouble soon brews for Dr. Kubi when a pubescent girl in the area gets murdered. Endowed with their excessively deferential attitude to spooky demons, the villagers ironically blame Dr. Kubi for the death. They believe that the wrath of the evil spirit in the boulder is incurred.

Does Dr. Kubi get guilt-tripped then? Is the murder mystery solved? Does the endeavor to rescue people from being trapped in the abyss of superstition fail?

Director Sadanand Suvarna has brought a distinct vision to the screen; Girish Kasaravalli’s screenplay accentuates that vision. The story shows the skepticism and reluctance of people to welcome positive changes in life. L Vaidyanathan has ably composed the score. GS Bhaskar’s camerawork is decent; and, MN Swamy’s editing is alright, given the tight budget and meager resources of the film.

Charuhasan is OUTSTANDING in the lead. Raghubir Yadav too has lent life to his role of male nurse. Vaishali Kasaravalli and others have put in convincing performances in supporting roles.

The parody amplifies the saying that old habits die hard!

I rate this comic drama: 8.0 on 10!


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