MATCHUP BETWEEN DECEIT AND DIGNITY
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, ...