Chitra Varga

The American President Franklin D. Roosevelt said prudently…and profoundly too: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Easier said than done, for often fear is the fallout of the unknown.   “ ಅನ್ವೇಷಣೆ ” ( ‘Anveshane’, which means: ’Quest ’ ) is a 1983 Kannada movie, which takes a peek at fear-induced behavior. The plot of the neo-noir art film is about how folks cope with uncertainty. Critically acclaimed, the flick won a few awards too. Shyam (Anant Nag), a travel agent, is in blissful wedlock with Revathi (Smita Patil), a school teacher. They are blessed with two little, adorable girls in their tweens. The typical middle-class family lives in a housing complex with several other tenants. Some of the neighbors are prying nosy-parkers. Few men in the colony are goofy busybodies; others are perverts having roving eyes. The womenfolk are loud and garrulous; and, annoyingly inquisitive. Both Shyam and Revathi toil hard to make both ends meet. The two follow ...

The Earth offers its bounty only upon faithful stewardship. The flora and fauna in forests are part of the bonanza― safeguarding the bounty requires diligent care and guardianship. “ ಗಂಧದ ಗುಡಿ ” (‘ Gandhada Gudi ’, or ‘ Temple of Sandalwood’ ) is a 1973 Kannada film based on the theme of forest conservation and wildlife protection― the first Indian movie to do so. The crime drama, with a conjoint domestic drama in its narrative, portrayed the rich biodiversity of the State of Karnataka. Based on MP Shankar’s story, the flick was a blockbuster hit; it was remade in Hindi ( Kartavya ) too.   Kumar (Dr. Rajkumar) is a virtuous and industrious ‘range forest officer’ posted to the Nagarahole National Forest, which has a gang of lethal poachers and sandalwood smugglers operating in it. Inexplicable paranormal phenomena inside the dense jungle too are terrorizing folks in the vicinity. Immediately after taking charge, Kumar meets Anand (Vishnuvardhan), the son of Raja Venkatappa Naya...

Crime, as someone said, is as much a condition as an intention. Indeed it is the culmination of the intentions of the criminal; and, a reflection of the conditions within the community. “ ಸ್ಲಂ ಬಾಲ ” (‘ Slum Bala’ ) is a 2008 Kannada film about the police-politician nexus and crime-corruption locus within society. Based on Agni Sridhar’s novel, ‘ Daadaagiriya Dinagalu ’, t he critically-acclaimed flick narrates the story of gangster Vinayaka Bala, a hired gun on the payroll of powerful politicos . Balakrishna (Vijay), or, Bala, for short, is a ‘rowdy-sheeter’ in the crosshairs of the police authorities. Origins from an urban ghetto earn the nickname ‘Slum Bala’ for the notorious gangster. Police Inspector Shantaram (Shashikumar) banishes the brawny, bit-of-a-bonehead Bala from Bengaluru as a precautionary measure for ensuring violence-free elections. So, Slum Bala sets out to Mumbai and gets hired as a dance-bar bouncer. He even gets romantically involved with Mallige (Shubha Poonja...

The English actor, Mark Strong opined: “ When you're making a psychological thriller, what you need to do is have an audience on shifting sand so they're never quite sure where they are. ”  Bang on! “ ಮರ್ಮ ” (‘ Marma ’, which translates to ‘ Secret ’) is a 2002 Kannada movie, which takes that sentiment to an extreme. The thriller weaves complex psychological illnesses like schizophrenia, split personality, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc., into its narrative. Made on a shoestring budget, it was a hit. Recently betrothed to her fiancé, Anand (Anand), Sudha (Prema) mysteriously goes missing for a few days. She returns home later with some injuries to her head. Seemingly suffering from amnesia, she begins to behave spookily, which puts the family on tenterhooks. Sudha, on top, claims to have witnessed a murder; as proof, she shows a button apparently yanked out of the killer’s jacket. She even begins to act like someone possessed and hallucinates about physical at...

It has been said that ‘to vice, innocence must seem like a kind of trickery’ . At times though, when innocence collides with hard reality, the result is a tragedy. “ ಧರ್ಮ ದಾರಿ ತಪ್ಪಿತು ”― ‘ Dharma Daari Tappitu ’, which translates to: ‘ Righeousness Lost (its) Way ’― is a 1982 Kannada film which has a theme of ‘the ingenuous meets the devious’. Critics appreciated the movie, which won a few state awards too. Narsaiah (MV Vasudeva Rao) works as the caretaker of a traveler’s bungalow. Though afflicted with a speech disorder, his young daughter, Putti (Jayanthi) is grace, charm and beauty personified. Endowed with a captivating smile, she has a childlike innocence about her. Krishna (Shankar Nag), a physically challenged young man, dreams of marrying Putti. Guests at the inn too find Putti attractive. One stormy night, Putti is sexually attacked during a power outage. Unable to scream, she fails to ward off the assault. The lodgers that fateful evening include Ratnakara (Srinath), a ri...

“ An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind,” is a saying often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi incorrectly. All the same, this take on the B iblical Hebrew 'eye-for-eye' tenet of retributive justice is no doubt rooted in pacifist ideology. " ದೇವತಾ ಮನುಷ್ಯ " (' Devatha Manushya ', which means ' Divine Man ') is a 1988 Kannada film, which was a superhit at the box-office. The social drama won a few awards too. Krishnamurthy (Dr. Rajkumar) is a sincere, diligent driver, who leads a simple life. He is in a relationship with Jaya (Geetha). Murthy's employer, Kapanipathy (Rajanand), is a man of repute in society; but, there is a dark side to his wealth and success. Murthy gets falsely convicted in a high-profile case involving heist of treasures from a temple. He is sentenced to a long-term in prison; so, he wants to seek retributive justice. Does Murthy succeed? Or, does wiser counsel prevail on him? Director Singeetham Srinivasa R...

Dandupalya is a quaint village in Karnataka, which attained notoriety because of the misdeeds of a criminal gang with origins in that village. The merciless gang committed scores of ruthless rapes, burglaries and murders and unleashed a reign of terror in and around the metropolitan areas of Bengaluru. It is estimated that the gang killed in cold-blood over eighty people between 1996 and 2001. Eleven of the gang members were sent to the gallows. " ದಂಡುಪಾಳ್ಯ " (' Dandupalya ') is a 2012 Kannada film that documents the gruesome crimes of the notorious gang. The crime drama received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. It was dubbed in Telugu (' Dandupalyam ') and Tamil (' Karimedu '). The plot, rooted in reality, revolves around this tightly-knit group of bandits, who would feast on donkey meat and get drunk on hooch before hatching their devious plan. The next day, Lakshmi ( Pooja Gandhi ) would scout the neighborhood for...

It has been arguably said that you can only cheat a greedy man , not an honest one. True at times; not always. Often the naive too fall prey to the devilry of the consummate con artist. " ಸುಬ್ಬ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ " (' Subba Shastri ') is a 1966 Kannada film based on the novel Aashada Bhoothi  by  AN Murthy Rao. The crime drama, with the trappings of a family drama, was well appreciated by audiences and critics alike. The flick portrays, charmingly too, the pitfalls of harbouring excessively strong fraternal feelings; and, how fissures can develop easily within a family when outsiders with dubious antecedence rule the roost. The male protagonist, Subba Shastry (Kalyan Kumar) is a cheat, who sweet-talks his way quoting the scriptures and uttering pearls of wisdom. Blessed with a baritone voice, the wily, glib fellow can melt hearts with his euphonic, captivating renditions of devotional songs. With the police hot on his heels, Subba reaches the temple town of Melkote, ...

The work of assassins is in the seedy, dark underworld; its impact is felt in the open, bright world of the mainstream though. That’s an undeniable fact. But, what effect does the assassin’s work in the macrocosm of fugitive dons, criminal gangs and villainous mobsters have on his own microcosm of personal life and love? “ ಎದೆಗಾರಿಕೆ ” (‘ Edegarike ’ or ‘Guts’) is a 2012 Kannada film that takes a realistic look into the misty-murky world of sharpshooters. The crime drama won widespread critical appreciation and was a huge success at the box-office too. Agni Shridhar’s literary work of the same name provides the plot, which is evidently inspired by true incidents and real gangsters from the 1990's. The flick has the male protagonist, Sona ( Aditya ), a  hitman , who works in tandem with Tukaram Shetty (Achyuth Kumar), a planner of contract killings. Having taken scores of lives, Sona has oodles of blood on his hands. But, he wants to relinquish crime; return to a humdrum routine and...