Chitra Varga

‘ We are all children of one great mother, Nature ’ is a well-known Earth Day quote. That quote dovetails rather well with William Wordsworth’s quote of: “ Nature never did betray the heart that loved her .”   ಕಾಂತಾರ ( Kāntāra , which translates to “Mystical Forest”) is a 2022 Kannada -language  action thriller that explores man-nature conflict against the backdrop of culture and heritage. The critically-acclaimed film takes us through the eternal struggle between need and greed of humans. Oh…it was a commercial blockbuster and won myriad awards too! The film starts with the story of a powerful, but respected ruler of a large, prosperous 19 th Century kingdom. Despite having a loving family and happy subjects, the ruler was desolate and depressed. So, he sets out aimlessly in quest for bliss, happiness and tranquility. Eventually, the forlorn king finds inner peace and spiritual succor in a remote forest at a sacred stone, which inhabitants of the forest worship as the g...

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...

“ 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...

“Spying,” as the Russian President Vladimir Putin said somewhat stalely, “ has always gone on since ancient times .” There is something about ‘spying’ and its not-so-distant cousin, ‘voyeurism’ that gives an adrenalin rush to the common man. Perhaps the spooky secrecy that shrouds espionage― besides its association with death and danger― is irresistibly charming. The onscreen portrayal of suave, sophisticated spies too adds to the romanticism of intelligence work . “ ಕುಳ್ಳ ಏಜೆಂಟ್ ೦೦೦ ” (“ Kulla Agent 000”, which literally means, ‘Short Agent 000’ ) is a 1972 Kannada film, which is part spy parody and part spy thriller. The commercially successful movie― an escapade in the Austin Powers’ mold on comical content sans the innuendos― found favour in pop culture too. Kulla (Dwarakish), a puny, pocket-sized bloke aspires to be a secret service agent. He tries to make up for his lack of height by showing up for a recruitment interview wearing stilts under his long trousers. The comical ...

It has been said that ' behind every great fortune is a great crime .' Indeed, fortune is undeniably the frequent causa causans for crime. " ಅಂತ " (' Anta ', which translates to ' End ') is a 1981 Kannada film, which delves into the murky world of the corrupt and the criminal. Based on HK Anantha Rao's story, it was remade in Tamil (' Thyagi '), Telugu (' Atham Kadidi Aarambam ') and Hindi (' Meri Aawaz Suno '). This landmark action thriller was hugely successful at the box-office. Sushil Kumar (Ambareesh), an upright, diligent police inspector, is living happily with his pregnant wife, Sunitha (Lakshmi) and his mother (Pandari Bai). It is happenstance that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Kanwar Lal (also Ambareesh), a dreaded, notorious gangster serving a life term in prison for murder. So, the police hatch a plot to plant Sushil in Kanwar's place if only to penetrate and bust the latter's gang of smugglers,...

A good thriller, it has been said, is one which feels real and carries some truth. " ನಿಷ್ಶಬ್ದ " ('Nishyabda', or 'Silence') is a 1998 Kannada film, which is as realistic as an action thriller can get. The movie was a box-office success; critics appreciated it too. Major Vishwanath (Vishnuvardhan) is a retired army veteran who is also a dog trainer with about twenty purebred dogs in his kennel. Dr. Vineetha (Revathy) is the veternarian looking after the dogs. The major's brother, Vijay (Sumanth) is in a romantic relationship with Varsha (Mohini), which the major has no knowledge of. Fatefully Vijay antagonises a local thug, Veerendra Gowda (JK Bharavi) and gets murdered. That alters the course of Major's life, who now shelters Varsha at home and seeks revenge against his brother's killers. Dinesh Baboo has written and directed the thriller, which has the right, eclectic mix of action, suspense and mystery. He has handled the camerwork credi...

Someone once said, rhetorically perhaps, “ Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy. ” But why complain if good ole’ entertainment serves as a surrogate for happiness that everyone cherishes in life? “ ಜಾಕೀ ” (‘ Jackie ’) is a 2010 Kannada action thriller, which delivers a supersized serving of ‘joy’ with a unique brand of quick-paced narration. The film, a box-office bonanza, won a bunch of awards too. The story revolves around the male protagonist, Janakirama alias  Jackie  (Puneeth Rajkumar), a poor widow’s son. The goofy, happy-go-lucky fella’s pipe dream is to make it big in realty. A high school dropout, the talkative do-gooder is never short of repartee though . He unwittingly helps the local priest’s daughter, Yashoda (Harshika Poonacha), elope with her lover, Parangi Seena (Vikas), who is actually part of a human trafficking network. Blamed for Yashoda’s disappearance, Jackie sets out to trace her…and, that triggers a gambol ride. His sear...

While at work, who hangs out with sexy sirens in skimpy wear? Who gets into gunfights with gangsters... with the thrill of thumping thugs and toughies...dueling devious, devilish dons? And, comes out on top...everytime...all the time? The answer: Bond...James Bond! The Bond spy thriller franchise based on a fictional MI6 agent started in 1962 with Dr. No 's release. Immensely successful, the Bond series inspired directors B Dorairaj and SK Bhagavan into making a character-based trilogy along similar lines in Kannada– a pioneering effort in the country. " ಜೇಡರ ಬಲೆ " (' Jedara Bale ', which means ' Spider Web ') is a 1968  Kannada  film belonging to the spy-thriller genre , a first in India. Matinee idol Rajkumar was cast in the lead role of Prakash, code-named as CID Agent 999. The blockbuster paved the way for the production of similar films and remakes in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam , featuring Jaishankar, Krishna and Prem Nazir respectively in ...

John Muir, the reputed American naturalist and environmental philosopher, apparently said: “The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.” Indeed so...unless the forest is the hideout of a notorious bandit like Veerappan (Kishore), in which case (to put it facetiously), the wilderness perhaps turns into a clear path out of the universe. " ಅಟ್ಟಹಾಸ " ( 'A ṭṭ ah ā sa' ) is a 2013  Kannada   biopic  film , based on the life and times of forest brigand  Veerappan– an ivory poacher, sandalwood smuggler, serial kidnapper, extortionist, mass murderer and a  numero uno  looter of forest wealth. He routinely killed not only police and forest range officers, but also those suspected of being police informers. Veerappan ruled the jungles for over twenty years when efforts to apprehend him were hampered by issues of inter-state law enforcement and judicial administration. The movie was co-released in Tamil as  Vana Yuddham. This 'real...