Chitra Varga

The Doctrine of Lapse was as devious a formula as it was ingenious devised for  the British to reclaim paramountcy and usurp direct control over subordinate princely states in pre-independence India. Under the ploy of regulating succession, the British annexed states of monarchs who died without natural heirs. Thus, the doctrine was aimed at regaining direct superintendence over states for imperial gain. “ ಕಿತ್ತೂರು ಚೆನ್ನಮ್ಮ ” (‘ Kitturu Chennamma’ ) is a 1961 Kannada film that featured the freedom struggle of the Queen of Kittur, who rebelled and defiantly went to war against the British in 1824 CE. The historical drama won several awards, including the National Award for Best Feature Film  in Kannada. As a commercial venture, the period flick attained great success; critics raved over it too. Rani Chennamma (B Saroja Devi) was trained in archery, fencing, horse riding and other martial arts at an early age. She married Raja Mallasarja (Dr. Rajkumar) in 1793 and begot a so...

The Italian polymath, Leonardo da Vinci expressed very eloquently: " Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.” Insightful words that resonate well with us all for sure!   “ ಅಮರಶಿಲ್ಪಿ ಜಕಣಾಚಾರಿ ” (‘ Amarashilpi Jakanachari’, which translates to ‘ Immortal Sculptor Jakanachari ’) is a  1963 Kannada  film on the life of an extraordinary sculptor, Jakanachari, who apparently lived in the 12 th Century CE and is credited with building several Kalyani Chalukya and Hoysala temples endowed with intricate carvings . The biopic was a popular success and was remade in T elugu  ( Amarashilpi Jakkanna ) . Born in a small village, Kaidala in Tumkur District of the State of Karnataka, Jakanachari (Kalyan Kumar) becomes a master artisan.   Shortly after his marriage, he leaves home to dedicate his life to art and sculpture. Deeply engrossed in his work, he abandons his pregnant wife, Manjari (B Saroja Devi). Despite encountering many obstacles, Jakanachari is u...

Justice is the bedrock on which society and its institutions are established. That bedrock exists on the substratum of truth. So, if that substratum is ruined, then all of society, painstakingly built, gets razed down. “ ನ್ಯಾಯವೇ ದೇವರು ” (‘ Nyayave Devaru’ , which translates to: ‘ Justice is God ’ ) is a 1971 Indian Kannada film, which has truth and justice as its thematic core. The romantic drama― it also had courtroom drama integrated into the narrative― was critically acclaimed; it yielded a box-office bonanza for its producers. Raghu (Dr. Rajkumar), a law student, hails from a family of famous, affluent jurists. He falls in love with his classmate, Shanti (B Saroja Devi), a bashfully reticent girl and, on top, a statuesque beauty from an impoverished family. Raghu’s father, Chandrashekaraiah (KS Ashwath) disapproves of the match. Unbeknownst to Raghu, Chandrashekaraiah meets Shanti and beseeches her to forsake the alliance in order to uphold his family prestige and rep...

The tale of, and events leading thereto, the marriage of Lord Sri Venkateshwara (also Lord Srinivasa) with his consort, Goddess Padmavathi, makes for fascinating narration . The story, no doubt, makes for a riveting watch on the silver screen. “ ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ” (‘ Sri Srinivasa Kalyana’ , which translates to: ‘Welfare of Sri Srinivasa’) is a 1974 Kannada movie, which portrays the story of Lord Srinivasa. The mythological drama was a super hit at the box office; it was dubbed into Tamil as “ Ezhumalaiyaan Darsanam ”. The story begins with rishi s performing a yajna . Sage Narada (Srinath) visits the site of the yajna and asks the rishi s about who they are looking to propitiate. Put in a quandary, the rishi s entrust Bhrigu (Vajramuni) with the task of ascertaining the Supreme Being among the Trinity. After visiting Satyaloka and Kailasa, the respective abodes of Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, Bhrigu infers that the former is unworthy of worship; he curses arrogantly the lat...