Chitra Varga

Some say love is an “emotion experienced by many and enjoyed by a few” . However, that emotion of love is elusive for many, who don’t get to either enjoy or experience it. “ ಬೆಸುಗೆ ” (‘ Besuge ’, which means ‘ Solder ’) is a 1976 Kannada film. Based on the work of renowned novelist Ashwini, the romantic drama was a commercial hit― its original music, comprised of six tracks, was no doubt a bigger blockbuster. It won numerous awards too. Venu (Srinath) is a rich non-resident Indian. A family friend, Liz (Sathyapriya) becomes smitten by Venu, who spurns her overtures of love…for he is haunted by well-entrenched memories of an ugly and tragic past that reside in the innermost recesses of his mind and have messed up his mental well-being. So, Venu returns to India to exorcise the deep-rooted demons from his dark childhood. Back home after a long time, he is torn between a sweet, orphaned maid, Suma (Manjula) and a hot, loaded relative, Champa (Jayalakshmi). Does Venu fall for the a...

Motivational speakers routinely exhort that ‘success belongs to those who care not for circumstances to create opportunity for themselves’ . True! Often though, circumstances intensify the drive in people for shaping successful lives. “ ಜೋಶ್ ” (‘ Jhossh ’, which translates in Kannada slang to ‘ High Spirits ’) is a 2009 Kannada film. The flick was a high grosser at the box office. After garnering both critical acclaim and popular applause, it went on an award-winning spree too. The movie was later remade in Tamil ( Yuvan ) and Telugu ( Keratam ). Rocky (Rakesh Adiga), a college student, hails from a middle-class family. He constantly yearns for a loving relationship with his heartthrob. Poorna (Meena) rebuffs his romantic overtures though. The love smitten Rocky then shifts his attention to Meera (Nithya Menen). The fallout: his academic performances suffer, even as his classmates pursue their respective passions and become upwardly mobile in life. So how does the ‘coming of ag...