WARM FUZZIES FROM FANTASY & FOLKLORE

It has been said that history and folklore link the people of any land. Sure enough! However, while history is mostly fact, folklore is all fun and fiction, some of which is perhaps rooted in fact.

“ನಾಗಮಂಡಲ” (‘Nagamandala’, which is the name of a ‘ritualistic festival for propitiating the Snake God’ celebrated in the coastal regions of Karnataka) is a 1997 Kannada film that captivated critics; it won numerous awards too. The drama is an adaptation of a Girish Karnad play based on a popular folktale of North Karnataka― its plotline though is similar to that of Rajasthani writer, Vijaydan Detha’s short story, Duvidha.

Appanna (Prakash Raj; credited as Prakash Rai) is a grumpy, callous and insensitive newly-wed. Filled to the brim with toxic, suffocative masculinity, he routinely neglects his demure, bashful young bride, Rani (Vijayalakshmi). Yet, the obdurate fellow unfaithfully continues an illicit, extra-marital relationship with Cheluvi (Vanita Vasu), his concubine.

Deprived of marital bliss, Rani dutifully continues to serve Appanna. To win his love and affection, she attempts to seduce Appanna by mixing in his milk a love root that an old lady, Kurudavva (B Jayashree) gives her.

The milk gets accidentally spilled on an anthill and a cobra laps it up. With passions aroused, the bewitched, bowled-over cobra assumes a human form, if only to visit Rani regularly in the guise of Appanna and to consummate the dalliance with her.

Soon the intimacy results in Rani’s pregnancy. An irate Appanna promptly accuses her of adultery. The village elders ask Rani to insert her arms inside a snake burrow to establish fidelity. She complies with the diktat and proves her chastity.

Obstinate Appanna refuses to accept the verdict. The rest of the drama is about Appanna’s efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery and to punish Rani for her infidelity.

Director TS Nagabharana has crafted a riveting tale entailing domestic dogmas and social stigmas…some of which dominate the scene in patriarchal systems. He uses a farfetched tale founded in fantasy and folklore for his drama.

The dramatization vividly portrays the North Karnataka lifestyle― social mores, religious beliefs and their ilk of people in the region…the symphonic dialect used for the dialogues is icing on the cake. The transitions in the story from fact and real to folk and myth are less convincing; they evoke doubt and disbelief in many a viewer.

Music that C Ashwath has scored is enchanting; the lyrical and musical compositions have distinct folk undertones. Every frame in GS Bhaskar’s cinematography is a piece of art. Shashidhar Adapa’s art direction is a treat for sore eyes.

Prakash Rai is pedestrian in his rendition; not so Vijayalakshmi. Mandya Ramesh and B Jayashree have supported BRILLIANTLY. Vanita Vasu and HG Dattatreya have itsy-bitsy roles, which they have essayed with ease.

On the whole the movie provides the potion of passion that hopeless romantics crave for in reel-life to roll on in real-life. So, if one ignores the lack of realism in the narration, the plot of pure escapism is indeed enjoyable…the extent depends solely on suspension of disbelief, given Nagabharana’s supreme storytelling skills.

I rate this Supernatural drama: 7.0 on 10!