Chitra Varga

Some say love is an “emotion experienced by many and enjoyed by a few” . However, that emotion of love is elusive for many, who don’t get to either enjoy or experience it. “ ಬೆಸುಗೆ ” (‘ Besuge ’, which means ‘ Solder ’) is a 1976 Kannada film. Based on the work of renowned novelist Ashwini, the romantic drama was a commercial hit― its original music, comprised of six tracks, was no doubt a bigger blockbuster. It won numerous awards too. Venu (Srinath) is a rich non-resident Indian. A family friend, Liz (Sathyapriya) becomes smitten by Venu, who spurns her overtures of love…for he is haunted by well-entrenched memories of an ugly and tragic past that reside in the innermost recesses of his mind and have messed up his mental well-being. So, Venu returns to India to exorcise the deep-rooted demons from his dark childhood. Back home after a long time, he is torn between a sweet, orphaned maid, Suma (Manjula) and a hot, loaded relative, Champa (Jayalakshmi). Does Venu fall for the a...

‘ Money cannot buy love, ’ many say! But, it can surely usher cheer, cordiality and camaraderie in the lives of people. After all, folks swarm around the moneyed like bees to a honeypot! “ ಕಾಸಿದ್ರೆ ಕೈಲಾಸ ” (‘ Kasidre Kailasa ’, which equates to: ‘ Affluence is Heaven ’) is a 1971 Kannada film, which stresses the need for due care while managing money matters. The core plot of the film was used in a Hindi film ( Sabse Bada Rupaiya ). It fared well in its ticket-booth collections. A stinking-rich, but compassionate man, Gopi (Dr. Rajkumar) is a spendthrift. Naïve, trusting to a fault, Gopi is surrounded by a bunch of flunkies, who live off him. While Gopi harbors affection for the sidekicks, they see the former only as a golden goose. Shakuntala (Vanisri) is his romantic interest. One day Gopi sees Ramu (Udaykumar), a well-educated, unemployed graduate reeling under the pangs of hunger and reaching out for a few morsels of leftovers on the street. He feeds Ramu and takes him as a b...

Opinion leaders have oft repeated that the goal of population stabilization is to “reduce or minimize misery. ” The great science writer, Isaac Asimov even decreed: “ Democracy cannot survive over-population. ” There is enough empirical evidence and academic research to support those views. “ ಬೋರೇಗೌಡ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ” (‘ Boregowda Bengaloorige Banda ’, which means: ‘ Boregowda Came to Bengaloor ’) is a 1970 Kannada film that has the link between poverty and population for a theme. With its chartbusting tracks, the movie was a musical megahit. A poor villager, Boregowda, also Boranna (Rajesh), moves to Bangalore in search of a better life. In tow are his wife, Gowravva (Leelavathi) and five children. Destitute and distressed, the naïve folks have a difficult time adjusting to the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog life in their city of dreams. Boranna gets acquainted in time with Rajanna (Srinath), a Robin-Hood-like do-gooder, who has Lakshmi (B Vijayalakshmi), a street vendor, as his love...

A romanticist mused that the only happiness in life is to love and to be loved. Easier said than done, for love is often elusive…exhausting too. On top, even when love is present in life, joy is slippery like an eel.     “ ಪ್ರೇಮಲೋಕ ” (‘ Premaloka ’; Translation: ‘ World of Love ’) is a 1987 Kannada film, which had college love, romance and infatuation for its core plot. The romantic drama, a musical blockbuster, was heavily inspired by the English flick, Grease 2. It was released simultaneously in Tamil ( Paruva Ragam ) too. The bilingual raked in a windfall for its producers. Ravi (V Ravichandran) is a teenager who has busy parents, who are socialites. The result: he is cared for and brought up by his maid, Sharadamma (Leelavathi), he develops a special bond with her. He enrolls for college and goes nuts over his classmate, Shashikala, also Shashi (Juhi Chawla), a ravishing beauty that the entire college is gung-ho about. On the contrary, Shashikala is mad about an anon...

As someone said, truths are best expressed in the form of myth. On the dot! Rectitude and righteousness too are best spread with mythology. “ ಮೂರೂವರೆ ವಜ್ರಗಳು ” (‘ Mooruvare Vajragalu ’, which translates to: ‘ Three & Half Diamonds ’) is a 1973 Kannada mythological film based on events narrated in the pur ā ṇa s and other ancient literary works. Woven around characters in the epic Mah ā bh ā rata , the B&W movie is a masterpiece. It was a super-duper hit and garnered critical acclaim too. The film unfolds with Sage Narada (Dr. Rajkumar) reassuring a poor, blind and orphaned Kritavarma (Srinath) about Sri Krishna’s (Dr. Rajkumar) benevolence towards those devoted to him. The noble sage narrates the exemplary story of Sudama (Gururajulu Naidu) to prove his point. Kritavarma marries Satyavati (Jayanthi), an ardent, devout worshipper of Sri Krishna, and regains his lost kingdom. Many sub-plots, entailing conspiracies of pompous Duryodhana (Vajramuni); negligence of Kritavarma;...

The Nobel laureate, Alexis Carrel said: " Life leaps like a geyser for those who drill through the rock of inertia. " Inspiring words those are! Wonders are possible when assiduity and tenacity act in tandem.   “ ಬಂಗಾರದ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ” (‘ Bangaarada Manushya ’, or, ‘Golden Man’ ), a 1972 Kannada film, is based on TK Rama Rao's novel of the same name. The drama serves such a heady cocktail of emotions that it strikes a chord with its audience. An all-time, unrivaled blockbuster, it altered the course of Kannada mainstream cinema. It was remade in Telugu ( Devudulanti Manishi ).   The plot revolves around the male protagonist, Rajeeva (Dr. Rajkumar), a well-educated young man, who saves his sister, Sharada’s (Advani Lakshmi Devi) family from financial doom after the death of his brother-in-law and sole bread-winner of the family. He takes up the duty of supporting the bereaved family. An embodiment of simplicity and sacrifice, Rajeeva gets his two nephews, Chakrapani (Srina...

It has been said that ‘to vice, innocence must seem like a kind of trickery’ . At times though, when innocence collides with hard reality, the result is a tragedy. “ ಧರ್ಮ ದಾರಿ ತಪ್ಪಿತು ”― ‘ Dharma Daari Tappitu ’, which translates to: ‘ Righeousness Lost (its) Way ’― is a 1982 Kannada film which has a theme of ‘the ingenuous meets the devious’. Critics appreciated the movie, which won a few state awards too. Narsaiah (MV Vasudeva Rao) works as the caretaker of a traveler’s bungalow. Though afflicted with a speech disorder, his young daughter, Putti (Jayanthi) is grace, charm and beauty personified. Endowed with a captivating smile, she has a childlike innocence about her. Krishna (Shankar Nag), a physically challenged young man, dreams of marrying Putti. Guests at the inn too find Putti attractive. One stormy night, Putti is sexually attacked during a power outage. Unable to scream, she fails to ward off the assault. The lodgers that fateful evening include Ratnakara (Srinath), a ri...

The great theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein observed insightfully, ‘ only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. ’ Indeed when the ego comes into play, human associations begin to strain; more so in marital relationships. “ ನಾ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿದ ಹುಡುಗ ” (“ Naa Mecchida Huduga” , which translates loosely to “(The) Boy  I Adored” ) is a 1972  Kannada film that was a great commercial success. Based on PS Vaidyanathan’s story titled “ Divorce in Indian Style ”, the romantic drama was remade in Tamil as “ Kattila Thottila ”. Bhaskar Rao (Ashwath) is an advocate married happily to Dr. Leelavathi (Leelavathi). The duo has a daughter, Pramila a.k.a. Pammi (Kalpana), who is in a romantic relationship with Gopinath (Srinath). Unaware of their daughter’s love, the two parents agitate over the choice of a suitable bridegroom for Pramila. Unable to settle their dispute amicably, they even reach the brink of divorce. That is when a clo...

The tale of, and events leading thereto, the marriage of Lord Sri Venkateshwara (also Lord Srinivasa) with his consort, Goddess Padmavathi, makes for fascinating narration . The story, no doubt, makes for a riveting watch on the silver screen. “ ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ” (‘ Sri Srinivasa Kalyana’ , which translates to: ‘Welfare of Sri Srinivasa’) is a 1974 Kannada movie, which portrays the story of Lord Srinivasa. The mythological drama was a super hit at the box office; it was dubbed into Tamil as “ Ezhumalaiyaan Darsanam ”. The story begins with rishi s performing a yajna . Sage Narada (Srinath) visits the site of the yajna and asks the rishi s about who they are looking to propitiate. Put in a quandary, the rishi s entrust Bhrigu (Vajramuni) with the task of ascertaining the Supreme Being among the Trinity. After visiting Satyaloka and Kailasa, the respective abodes of Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, Bhrigu infers that the former is unworthy of worship; he curses arrogantly the lat...

As someone rightly observed, ‘the higher you build walls around your heart, the harder you fall when someone tears them down’. “ ಲಗ್ನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆ” (‘ Lagna Patrike’, which means “Wedding Card”), a 1967 Kannada film has its plot based on that sentiment. The romantic comedy was a musical blockbuster; it did well at the box office too. The male protagonist, Raghu (Raj Kumar) is an ardent devotee of Lord Hanumantha. Having taken a vow of celibacy, he tries to impress upon others the virtues of his path and even attempts to influence all and sundry into adopting lives of austerity, but without much success. His friends and family pester him to get married. All of Raghu’s prudish virtue signaling comes to naught when Sita (Jayanthi) enters his life. Raghu’s aversion soon turns into passion and that paves the way for a laugh riot.   Directed by KSL Swamy, a legend of Kannada films, the flick is a lighthearted comedy , albeit slapstick at times. Chi Udaya Shankar, yet another silver sc...

Philip Dick, the renowned American sci-fi writer once said: “ ...sometimes an appropriate response to reality is to go insane. ” Of course, given that we all live in a crazy world, insanity is perhaps a sign of real sanity. " ಮಾನಸ ಸರೋವರ " ( Manasa Sarovara ) is a 1982 Kannada  film, which was critically lauded. Best described as a romantic-psychological drama. On one hand, it narrates pleasantly the triumph of human diligence over destiny; and, on the other, it depicts poignantly the last laugh of destiny to negate the results of diligence. The plot is about a middle-aged, mild-mannered and well-meaning psychiatrist, Dr. Anand (Srinath), who treats a young lady, Vasanthi (Padma Vasanthi) suffering from mental illness. The special, personalised care helps Vasanthi recover from her ailment. In the process, Dr. Anand falls in love with his patient. A fairy-tale ending on the cards, right? Just when everything is headed towards a romantic climax, Dr. Anand's nephew, S...