THE ALL-ELUSIVE DIGNITY IN A HARLOT’S LIFE

Poverty, they say, is the mother of prostitution. Indeed! An apathetic society though fathers the profession…and, often gives it a fillip too!

“ಗೆಜ್ಜೆ ಪೂಜೆ” (‘Gejje Pooje’, which literally means: ‘Anklet Worship’) is a 1969 Kannada film that portrays how society forms a vicious cycle to deny dignity and deprive distinction to those in the flesh trade. Based on the literary masterpiece of MK Indira, the flick was a resounding commercial success…and, a musical megahit. It won a catena of awards too and was remade in Tamil (Thaaliya Salangaiya), Telugu (Kalyana Mandapam) and Hindi (Ahista Ahista).

Chandra (Kalpana) is the daughter born out of wedlock to Shivarudrappa (Loknath), an affluent landlord, and Aparna (Leelavathi), a sex worker. Sharp as a tack, Chandra values the importance of education. Diligent at her studies, she dreams of shelving the life of debasement and leading a life of dignity.

Chandra falls in love with her neighbor and friend, Somu (Gangadhar). The two intend to get married. But soon, they realize that societal impediments are tough to overcome. Consequent to parental compulsions and familial circumstances, Somu breaks up with Chandra and gets engaged to Lalitha (Aarathi).

What does heartbroken Chandra do?

The rest of the story has innate gravity because all characters therein operate under a sense of destiny and predicament. 

Ace director and screenwriter Puttanna Kanagal has deftly narrated a mushy tale of misery and moral bankruptcy. His portrayal of elitism in a male dominated, chauvinistic milieu is soft and sublime. Gritty realism is delivered with an emotional punch that envelopes the audience in a fog of dolor.

Puttanna’s struck the perfect balance in the screenplay― audiences get restive when the drama is overdone; and, left feeling empty when the narration is under-played artificially.  The melancholic melodrama in his narration has a certain old-world charm to it. Vijay Bhaskar’s music is an aural delight. The editing and camerawork are not fanciful, but impactful.

Kalpana has delivered a GILT-EDGED performance as the female protagonist. The male lead, Gangadhar too has turned in a nice rendition. The rest of the cast, comprising of Leelavathi, Loknath, Pandari Bai, KS Ashwath, Balakrishna, MN Lakshmi Devi, Shivaram, BV Radha and others, has supported well.

I rate this social drama, a landmark film that ushered in the golden era of parallel cinema in Karnataka: 8.0 on 10!