Chitra Varga

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...

“ The only real valuable thing is intuition, ” said Albert Einstein. However, any intuition about a past occurrence would be tantamount to speculation . “ ಮೂಕಜ್ಜಿಯ ಕನಸುಗಳು ” (‘ Mookajjiya Kanasugalu’ , meaning: ‘Mookajji’s Dreams’) is a 2019  Kannada  flick based on a novel of the same name penned, Jnanpith awardee, Dr.  Shivaram Karanth . The film deals with intuitive perception about the past. Numerous awards were conferred on this sublime drama about life and death; right and wrong, and more. The drama subsumes many stories on human foibles and frailties. Mookambika, also Mookajji ( B Jayashree ), was married off before she attained puberty, but was widowed within a couple of days of her child marriage. Now an octogenarian, she lives with her brother’s grandson, Subbaraya (Aravind Kuplikar), and his wife, Sita (Nandini Vittal). Mookajji is endowed with extrasensory perception; with her clairvoyance she narrates the story of any object she touches. The faculty of...

Celia Fremlin, the mystery fiction writer, equated infatuation with a ‘ love that is inconvenient to go on with ’. But, sometimes, inconvenient love refuses to go away. “ ವಿಮುಕ್ತಿ ” (‘ Vimukthi ’, which means: ‘ Redemption ’) is a 2010 Kannada flick that delves on that theme of incestuous infatuation; it received a battery of awards, including the prestigious National Award. The movie was appreciated by critics and has the Neo-Freudian psycho-sexual theory of ‘Electra complex’ for its plot. Madhavi (Bhavana) is the only daughter of Keshava Rao (Ramakrishna), an artist proficient in the traditional art of Mysore paintings. Deprived of motherly love early in her life, Madhavi develops a strange, unresolved attraction for her father and yearns sub-consciously for his unconditional love. Madhavi’s relationship with her husband, Vibhin (Aravind G), is strained― courtesy: her clouded and cluttered psychological frame of mind. She becomes obsessively possessive and regressively jealous,...

  “ 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...

“ Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit ,”  said the insightful English writer, Eli Khamarov. And, when ill-health conjoins and c ompounds poverty, it is perhaps like punishment for a life you didn't want. But, what if unsought publicity is added to the blend? Director P. Sheshadri takes on that theme for his Kannada movie, " ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ -1 " (“ December-1 ”) and delivers, as only he can. H e packs quite a punch in the film with his brand of satire– comprising of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, yet never short of down-to-earth realism. The flick is about a phyically-challenged mill worker, Madevappa, who ekes out a simple, bare-bones existence in Basupura, a tiny, remote village. H is wife, Devakka sells “ roti s (bread)” to supplement the family income. One fine day they get news that the Chief Minister of the State plans to stay overnight with them on December 1. A bolt from the blue for the rural folks, suddenly now in the limelight! The official machi...

“ We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors— we borrow it from our children ”, despite its triteness, is a poignant and profound expression that all of mankind must remember. The attritional interplay between economic development and environmental protection serves as a canvas for “ ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಜೀವ” " ( Bettada Jeeva – Life of the Hill), a Nati onal Award-winning Kannada film. The movie– set in 1942 when the independence movement was at its zenith– is based on Jnanpith Awardee, Dr. Shivaram Karanth's novel by the same name. The plot revolves around the protagonist, Shivaramu, a young freedom fighter on the run, who is lost in the hilly terrain and dense jungle of the Western ghats. Strangers lead Shivaramu to Kelabailu, a small hamlet where he takes refuge in the house of an old man, Gopalaiah. Overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of his hosts and in deference to their insistence, Shivaramu extends his stay at Kelabailu– an outpost of civilisation untouched by ...

India is a country of stark contrasts and contradictions– as is evident from the disparity between the have's and have-not's. That is the topical exploration film-maker P. Sheshadri ventures out on in his National Award-winning movie: Beru  (' ಬೇರು' meaning ' root'). He pits the weak 'n frail of society against the stout 'n strong in our “system” to produce this “helpless versus heartless” flick! The result: A heady cocktail of creative genius ! The film uses satire as a potent weapon to portray the interplay of the powerless against the powerful. The ridicule is subtle , not aggressive; sarcasm nuanced , not abrasive. A delicate and perfect balance is struck between irony and humour! Sheshadri features an exquisite blend of exaggeration and juxtaposition to parody the inefficiencies and inadequacies of our government. He depicts its flaws– corruption and indifference not excepted– and exposes the apathetic abuse of the law-abiding fringe... b...