Chitra Varga

“ A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart,” advised the Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift. Caveat: Money often does not stay put in the fool's heart; it goes to his head. " ದುಡ್ಡೇ ದೊಡ್ಡಪ್ಪ " [' Dudde Doddappa', which literally translates to 'Money only is Big Daddy (Paternal Uncle)' ], is a 1966 Kannada film, which was a huge hit commercially. Based on writer M Ramamoorthy's story, the family drama was remade in Tamil (' Namma Veettu Lakshmi' ) and Telugu (' Lakshmi Nivasam '). Somayya (BR Panthulu) is a wealthy businessman, who has earned his fortune through good ole' hard work in a rags-to-riches story. He values time, labour and money– the secret sauce of his success! His family though does not share his ideals. His wife, Sharadamma (MV Rajamma); two sons, Chandru (Ramesh) and Raju (Narasimharaju); and, daughter Kalpana (Bharati) are all spendthrifts who not only have lavish, luxurious life...

" A day without laughter is a day wasted ,"   said Charlie Chaplin, the English actor-comedian. " ಎಮ್ಮೆ ತಮ್ಮಣ್ಣ " (' Emme Thammanna ', which translates to: “Buffalo Thamanna”) is a 1966 Kannada romantic comedy, one that will split your sides. Based on a story by AK Velan, the blockbuster was remade in Telugu (as Govula Gopanna ), in Hindi (as Jigri Dost ) and Tamil (as Maattukara Velan ). The film stars the yesteryear matinee idol, Dr. Rajkumar. Cast in a dual role– as Thammanna, a cowherd; and, Murali, an advocate– there is double romance in the air. Both characters get into love affairs– one with Meena (Bharati), the daughter of a senior counsel, and the other with Radha (GV Lathadevi), the daughter of a municipal president. That sets the stage for laugh riot. Some thrill, action and suspense add spice to this movie made for mirth and merriment. The direction of doyen BR Panthulu, one of our greatest auteurs, is superb , as always. TG Lingappa's...

While at work, who hangs out with sexy sirens in skimpy wear? Who gets into gunfights with gangsters... with the thrill of thumping thugs and toughies...dueling devious, devilish dons? And, comes out on top...everytime...all the time? The answer: Bond...James Bond! The Bond spy thriller franchise based on a fictional MI6 agent started in 1962 with Dr. No 's release. Immensely successful, the Bond series inspired directors B Dorairaj and SK Bhagavan into making a character-based trilogy along similar lines in Kannada– a pioneering effort in the country. " ಜೇಡರ ಬಲೆ " (' Jedara Bale ', which means ' Spider Web ') is a 1968  Kannada  film belonging to the spy-thriller genre , a first in India. Matinee idol Rajkumar was cast in the lead role of Prakash, code-named as CID Agent 999. The blockbuster paved the way for the production of similar films and remakes in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam , featuring Jaishankar, Krishna and Prem Nazir respectively in ...

Akira Kurosawa, the legendary Japanese director and screenwriter, once said that films must depict the common problems of humans properly . Depiction is perhaps not enough, if no attempt is made to suggest solutions. The medium of motion pictures vests power that can be wielded to tackle social ills and usher change. The avant-garde film-makers of mid-twentieth century took this “ cinematic social responsibility (CSR) ” seriously. So, they invariably embedded profound messages in the narrative of their films. " ಬೇಡರ ಕಣ್ಣಪ್ಪ " ( Bedara Kannappa ) is a  1954 award-winning  Kannada film, which tries to convey the ideal of “ no room for discrimination in devotion ” in its theme. The landmark movie perhaps  mainstreamed the genre of “Devotional Drama”  in Karnataka. A  blockbuster hit, the flick was dubbed in Tamil as  Vedan Kannappa (1955) . It was remade not only in Hindi as  Shiv Bhakta (1955) , but also in Telugu as  Kalahasti Mahatyam (19...

" ನಕ್ಕರೆ ಅದೇ ಸ್ವರ್ಗ " ( ' Nakkare Ade Swarga ' , which literally means: “ (if you) laugh, th at's heaven ”), is a lovely 1967   Kannada  film, which won slews of awards. The social drama — flush with the have's and the have-not's ; the happy and the heartsore ; and, more— attempts to provide the recipe for a heavenly... not hellish life. As ingredients, the flick uses motley characters and a melange of events within the story to spread that profound message. The plot revolves around a rich, arrogant man, who looks at the poor condescendingly. The man's frisky son thinks money, revelry and materialism is the path to joy; the daughter believes in old-world values of love, kinship and moderation. The latter gets romantically involved with an indigent, but industrious young man. That brings a rift within the family, with some finding mirth and others misery. The drama belongs to an era when film-makers took upon themselves the responsibility of not ...