Chitra Varga

Benjamin Disraeli, the British statesman called justice as ‘ truth in action ’. Extending his quote, dharma , that is, the ‘righteous duty’ cast on people, is “ truth, justice and sacrifice in action ”. “ ಸತ್ಯ ಹರಿಶ್ಚಂದ್ರ ” (‘ Satya Harishchandra ’) is a 1965 B&W Kannada film about a mythical king whose life exemplified the discharge of dharma, and deference to the duty of ‘upholding the truth’ cast thereunder. The flick is based on ‘ Harishchandra Kavya ’, the literary masterpiece of the poet, Raghavanka, who lived during the 12 th and 13 th centuries CE in the Hoysala kingdom. It is widely recognized to be a landmark in the history of Kannada movie industry. The fabled story is about Raja Harishchandra (Dr. Rajkumar), a monarch widely renowned as just and honest. To be true to his word and to atone for the sin of disrupting Sage Vishwamitra’s (Udaykumar) penance, the noble king abdicates his kingdom; he goes on an exile with his wife, Chandramathi (Pandari Bai) and son, Lohit...

It is well-settled today that dowry, dower and bride price are social scourges. These practices are prevalent even today; but, they were rampant the world over in a time and age not so long ago. “ ರಾಯರ ಸೊಸೆ ” (' Rayara Sose ', which translates literally to: ' Master's daughter-in-law ') is a 1957 Kannada film, which denounces the practice of dowry. The drama uses a good deal of wit and humour in the narrative to drive home the point. Lakshmi (Mynavathi) is sent back to her parental home because her miserly father-in-law, Raaya (H Ramachandra Shastry) has not received the promised dowry. Lakshmi's husband, Aravinda (Kalyan Kumar) is devastated; but, he does not muster enough courage to either confront his father, or go against the diktat. That is when Aravinda's doctor friend (Rajkumar) comes to the rescue. The doctor and his wife, Geeta (Pandari Bai), hatch a plot not only to get the estranged couple together; but, also to teach Raaya a lesson. Di...

The American writer, Mark Twain raved with eloquence: “ India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. ” Indeed! She is the second great grandmother of literature too. " ಪಾರ್ವತಿ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ " (' Parvathi Kalyana' , meaning: 'Parvati's Wedding'), is a  1967 Kannada film, a mythological masterpiece based on the Puranas, which are repositories of traditional lore. Puranic chronicles give captivating accounts, perhaps creatively embellished too, of events in the lives of divine beings from the Hindu pantheon and their interactions with humans. This B&W film starts with Narada (Udaykumar) informing Lord Shiva's consort, Sati (Chandrakala) about a yajñá (fire sacrifice) that her father, Daksha-Prajapati has arranged. Lord Shiva (Rajkumar), a persona non grata , is not invited to the ceremonial event, because Daksha has contemptuous animosi...

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...

The celebrated British author, JK Rowling once said: “ Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life.” That gets one to ask the moot, yet mischievous question: What happens when that life jacket deserts you? The answer, I guess, is left to one's imagination. ' ಗುಣಸಾಗರಿ ' (Gunasagari)  is a 1953 Black-and-White Kannada  film, which looks at the importance of 'trust', the very bedrock of 'family' . Produced by the legendary Gubbi Veeranna , it is a n 'early-years' beau ideal . One may well add, that the flick belongs to an era when the motion picture industry of Karnataka was nascent. Yet, movie makers had an innate sense of drama ; they knew how to weave magic on stage . That skill was used to the hilt for creating classics on celluloid. And, why not? They had great epics, such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, to provide them with ample inspiration. The plot features the female protagonist, Gunasagari (Pandari Bai)– grace 'n beauty personifi...