A WAR AGAINST AN ENEMY CALLED EGO
It has been said that taming the ego is vital to awaken the soul. Indeed…a tamed ego also softens the heart, and, sharpens the mind. “ ಉಪೇಂದ್ರ ” (‘ Upendra ’) is a 1999 Kannada film that delves on the war against one’s ego. The psychological thriller was a commercial hit; in fact, it has such an ardent fan following that many movie-buffs feel it is a cult classic. The flick also won a bunch of awards. The movie begins with betala (a hobgoblin-like paranormal being) narrating a tale to Vikramaditya (Arun Govil), a legendary emperor of ancient India, who was known for his wisdom, courage, generosity and patronage of scholars. The story is about Naanu (Upendra), the roguish, selfish male protagonist, who hates hypocrisy and is honest to a fault. Naanu manages to get into romantic relationships with three women― Rathi (Damini), Swathi (Prema) and Kirthi (Raveena Tandon). All three ladies vie for Naanu’s affections; he is compulsively obsessed about the richest of them all, Kirthi. Naanu t...