Chitra Varga

It is often said: ‘ What goes around comes around. ’ Indeed so! As someone said, karma is like a boomerang; and, on top it works in mysterious ways. “ ಋಣ ಮುಕ್ತಳು ” [‘ Ru ṇ amukta ḷ u’ , meaning: ‘(a lady who is) debt-free’ ], a 1984 Kannada film, is based on renowned writer, Anupama Niranjana’s novel ‘Runa’. Critics lauded the domestic drama, which has the karmic theme of ‘how you sow, so do you reap’.  Ramappa (Sundar Krishna Urs) is a corrupt, government engineer. Goda (Bharati), Ramappa’s beautiful wife, is against his nefarious and unscrupulous ways; but, she does not interfere. The couple has a son, Ranganatha (Ramakrishna), who grows to be a volatile, impulsive and rebellious man. The other son is obedient, studious and becomes a doctor. During a visit to his village, Ramappa has a fling with an innocent village belle, Malli (Padma Vasanthi), who begets a son from the illicit affair. Ramappa though keeps the birth of the illegitimate son a secret. Eventually, a conman, Adises...

John Kenneth Galbraith, the Canadian-American economist observed: “ Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite” . Regardless of the paradigm, exploitation happens for, like someone put it ironically, people like to own stuff. “ ಏಳು ಸುತ್ತಿನ ಕೋಟೆ ” (‘ Elu Suttina Kote’ , which literally means: ‘ Seven- Rounded Fortress ’) is a 1987 Kannada film, which has earned cult status. The social drama is loosely based on reputed Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s ‘ Crime and Punishment ’. The film was critically commended; it was a commercial success too. Anand (Ambareesh), a lecturer, is fired from his college due to his radical views on revolution and dogmatic obsession with class struggle. Gopal (Ramesh Aravind) and Rani (Gouthami) are Anand’s friends; the latter harbors romantic feelings towards Anand. In an effort to do his bit in rectifying societal inequities, Anand murders the village pawn-broker, Nagarajaiah (Sundar Krishna Urs). He intends to us...

The English statesman, Sir Francis Bacon observed philosophically: “ Money is a great servant, but a bad master. ” “ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕರ್ ಮಾರ್ಗಯ್ಯ ” (' Banker Margayya ') is a 198 3 Kannada  film, which is based on RK Narayan's novel, 'The Financial Expert'. The drama not only received rave reviews, but also won a host of awards. The flick deals with the ups and downs in the life and fortunes of a shrewd, streetwise money lender, Margayya (Lokesh). But, consequent to a quirky twist of fate, Margayya loses all his wealth and is reduced to penury. Thanks to a chance meeting with a happy-go-lucky Dr. Pal (Sundar Krishna Urs), Margayya publishes a sex manual. The pornographic book sells like hot cakes and Margayya begins to roll in money again. An ugly fallout of the newfound success is that Margayya's teenaged son, Balu (Sundar Raj) also gets hold of a copy. He soon loses interest in studies; becomes rebellious and takes to an amorous, decadent life. Margayya becomes a...