Chitra Varga

‘ We are all children of one great mother, Nature ’ is a well-known Earth Day quote. That quote dovetails rather well with William Wordsworth’s quote of: “ Nature never did betray the heart that loved her .”   ಕಾಂತಾರ ( Kāntāra , which translates to “Mystical Forest”) is a 2022 Kannada -language  action thriller that explores man-nature conflict against the backdrop of culture and heritage. The critically-acclaimed film takes us through the eternal struggle between need and greed of humans. Oh…it was a commercial blockbuster and won myriad awards too! The film starts with the story of a powerful, but respected ruler of a large, prosperous 19 th Century kingdom. Despite having a loving family and happy subjects, the ruler was desolate and depressed. So, he sets out aimlessly in quest for bliss, happiness and tranquility. Eventually, the forlorn king finds inner peace and spiritual succor in a remote forest at a sacred stone, which inhabitants of the forest worship as the g...

Proponents of globalization claim that it makes communities more creative and people more prosperous. However, detractors warn that a borderless world is likely to make nations more vulnerable . “ ಭಾರತ್ ಸ್ಟೋರ್ಸ್ ” (‘ Bharath Stores ’) is a 2012 Kannada film that won widespread critical appreciation. Dealing with the impact of foreign direct investment on small businesses in the retail sector, the drama received a spate of awards, including the National Award. Bharathi (Sudharani), a non-resident Indian, returns to Bengaluru after several years along with her husband, Sharath (Chi Gurudatt), a techie. The couple witnesses with wonderment the frenetic pace of life in the metropolis and its fast-changing skyline― courtesy: the hustle-bustle of development, chaotic traffic notwithstanding. The first item on Bharathi’s agenda is the repayment of a loan her father had taken, to defray her marriage costs, from Govinda Shetty (HG Dattatreya), the owner of a grocery shop called ‘Bharath S...

Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish writer, aired eloquently: “ An aspiration is a joy forever, a possession as solid as a landed estate, a fortune which we can never exhaust… ” Aspiration, and its alter ego, opportunity, is the starting point of all achievement, for sure. But then, getting to that elusive initial position is often a challenge for the weak and the poor. “ ಕೊಟ್ರೇಶಿ ಕನಸು ” (‘ Kotreshi Kanasu’ , or, ‘ Dream of Kotreshi’ ) is a 1994 National-Award-winning Kannada film that delves into the uphill battles of the disadvantaged…for even the most modest of ambitions. The flick is based on the novel ‘ Kotra High-schoolige Seriddu ’, penned by Sahitya Academi Awardee, Kum. Veerabhadrappa (KumVee); it received a bushel of critical acclaim too. Kotra is a sharp, studious boy from the lower caste. He passes his Seventh Standard examinations with flying colours. And, that sets the cat among the pigeons. It polarizes the village and widens the chasms of caste and class therein. Eve...

  “ With guns you can kill  terrorists , with education you can kill t errorism , ” is a quote that sounds profound. But, reality reveals education often makes terrorism more sophisticated; and, terrorists more hardened. " ಅತಿಥಿ " (' Atithi ' or 'Guest') is a 2002 Kannada movie, which won the prestigious Certificate of Merit at the National Awards. It garnered critical acclaim and amassed laurels galore. The film l ooks to portray the psyche of the terrorist and reflects upon the rationale for terrorism. The plot consists of a group of terrorists on the run after a successful attack. While plotting their next bombing, one of the terrorists (Prakash Rai) is injured in an accidental bomb blast. So, he is taken to the house of the local doctor (HG Dattatreya) for treatment. Held hostage, the doctor is forced to treat the terrorist under duress. Do the outlaws carry out the next attack? Or, is their plan stymied? The film is soft, even casual in depictin...

Gina Carey, the American filmmaker, once said: ' A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.' Well.. . if so, a caring woman goes a step further and 'looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink and a smile.' " ತಾಯಿ ಸಾಹೇಬ " (' Thaayi Saheba ', which translates loosely to ' Mother Madam ') is a 1997 Kannada film, which won the 'National Award for Best Feature Film'. Based on a novel of the same name penned by Ranganath Shyam Rao Lokapura, the period drama traces the lives of women in the family of a rich landlord, and a freedom fighter to boot, during the pre- and post-independence India. It delves into traditional inheritance rights and matrimonial customs of Hindus against a larger canvas of the evolution of land ownership rights in India. The female protagonist Narmada Thayi (Jaimala) is the second wife of Appa Sahib (Suresh Heblikar), who has a mistress, Chandri. Appa Saheb begets a girl child from the il...

The assassination of former Prime Minister, Sri Rajiv Gandhi was a watershed moment in the post-independence history of India. He succumbed to a suicide bombing in May 1991– members of the Sri Lankan terror outfit, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried it out– in Sriperumbudur on the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. ' ಸೈನೈಡ್ ' (' Cyanide' ) is a 2006 award-winning Kannada film on the manhunt launched for arrest of Sivarasan (Ravi Kale), the mastermind and his abettors and accomplices in the conspiracy. The drama received great critical acclaim too. The plot, set in Bangalore during August of 1991, is about incidents subsequent to the escape, of Sivarasan and his band of militants from Tamil Nadu, in an oil tanker.   A small factory owner, Ranganath (Rangayana Raghu) and his wife, Mridula (Tara) run into rough weather, when they naively give shelter to the terrorists. Eventually, the police track Sivarasan and his cohorts to a house in Konanakunte. ...

“ The human race cannot forever exist half-exploiters and half-exploited” , wrote Henry Ford. That statement perhaps is an ideal to aspire for. Reality though is that exploitation...social, political, religious, economic, you name the kind...it is as rampant as ever. ' ಚೋಮನ ದುಡಿ ' (“ Chomana Dudi ”, meaning: ' Choma's Drum' ) is a 1975 Kannada black-and-white flick based on a novel of the same name, written by Jnanpith awardee, Dr. Shivaram Karanth. It won a plethora of awards at the state, national and international levels. The film revolves around the male protagonist, Choma (MV Vasudeva Rao), a lower-caste bonded laborer working for a landlord. He ekes out a living with his four sons and daughter on a meager income. He often gets inebriated and gives vent to his pent up fury and frustrations by playing a drum– his favorite passion and pastime. Choma's dream is to own a small tract of land; but, he is ineligible because of his social status, an impediment ...

Thomas Paine, the American philosopher and political activist, wrote insightfully: “ Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” The question that begs to be asked though is: “In what state would government be an 'helpless one' ? Or, a 'hopeless one' ? ” ' ಬೇಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಹೊಲ ' (“ Beli Mattu Hola ”, meaning, ' Fence and the Yard ' ) is a 2010 Kannada film, a drama, which delves into the incompetence of government . It presents the plight of the weak and the frail in rural India with matters requiring government intervention. The village pawnbroker's house is burgled and his wealth, including all pawned valuables, is looted. The old man suffers a paralytic stroke and dies. His son, Chambasava (Achyuth Kumar) takes over the estate of his father; his main worry is the recovery of the stolen gold. So, Chambasava files a complaint with the police and gets entangled in a web of lies, fraud and...

Albert Einstein articulated his view on the science-religion debate as: “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” Eloquent indeed! " ಸಂಕಲ್ಪ " ( 'Sankalpa', which translates to ' Resolution' ) is a 1973, award-winning Kannada film, which dramatizes the eternal conflict between science-based cures and faith-driven healing. The big picture though is that of the theism-atheism battle drawn on the canvas of rational knowledge systems and traditional beliefs. This movie has the protagonist, Dr. Raju (Anant Nag in his debut film), an atheistic psychotherapist, taking on a devout, saintly man, Bhagwan Balayogi Baba (CR Simha) with self-proclaimed supernatural powers. Raju's wife, an agnostic, too partakes in rituals that the monk suggests at the behest of Raju's orthodox father for unearthing a treasure. During the course of rituals, the monk, firm in his belief and pure in his action, is able to perform miracles. But soon, h...