Chitra Varga

Norman Vincent Peale, the American author wrote: “ Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. ” Success though demands more. Flying high calls for drive ‘n determination; passion ‘n persistence; and, effort, energy ‘n enthusiasm. Privilege surely eases the endeavor. “ ಕೇರ್ ಓಫ್ ಫುಟ್ಪಾತ್ ” (‘ Care of Footpath’ ), is a 2006 Kannada film that explores the challenges of the under-privileged. It was dubbed into Hindi, Odia, Malayalam ,  Telugu , Tamil  and English. The social drama won scores of film awards, including the national award for ‘Best Children’s Film’; it was critically applauded too. An orphaned slum boy, affectionately called as Slummu (Master Kishan), is adopted by an old lady who finds him abandoned on the pavement. The boy becomes a rag-picker. One day, a bunch of school children ridicule him. Being called an uneducated brute in derision offends and perturbs Slummu, who now vows to get educated. An uphill battle, no doub...

It is true, axiomatic too, that the disadvantaged indeed do have more  to mourn in life,  but also  to subdue and surmount.  " ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಹೂವು ”  (' Bettada Hoovu ' ; literal  translation: ' Flower of the Hill '), a 1985  Kannada  film, drives home that point poignantly....and, thought-provokingly too! Based on Shirley Arora's novel, “What then, Raman?” is a family drama that won awards and appreciation. Critics too heaped lavish accolades over i t .  The movie, set in pre-independence India, is about Ramu ( Puneeth Rajkumar ), a bright, bubbly schoolboy with an endearing smile. Ramu's impoverished parents struggle to eke out a living in a remote village. The sharp as a tack kid though is fond of reading Kannada books; he even goes the extra mile to learn English. His one big aspiration is to buy the Kuvempu-authored Kannada book titled ‘ Sri Ramayana Darshanam ’. But, the price? A princely, ten rupees! Unable to make both ends meet, Ramu's ...