Chitra Varga

Samuel Johnson, the English writer extraordinaire wrote, “A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected.” The underlying tenet of the pithy saying is that you need to take in your stride whatever life throws at you. “ ದಿಯಾ ” (‘ Dia ’) is a 2020 Kannada film, which received scads of critical applause. The romantic drama was a commercial success too . The film takes a peep into the frailty and fragility of the human mind; it also explores the role hope plays in life.   The female protagonist, Dia Swaroop (Khushi Ravi), an introverted biotechnology student, has a secret crush on her senior, Rohit (Dheekshith Shetty). Dia though fails to express her feelings and Rohit moves on in life. The two meet again; and, romance fills the air. The blossoming love leads to a happily married life ever after, right? Wrong! A road accident turns Dia’s life upside down. Severely depressed, she decides to commit suicide. That is when Adi ( Pruthvi Ambaar ), oozing charm and cheer, enter...

“Every story needs an element of suspense– or, it’s lousy” , said Sydney Pollack, the American film director. Add a good measure of thrill; top it with a mysterious murder; and, you have the recipe for a terrific story on the silver screen. “ ತರ್ಕ ” (‘ Tarka' , which translates to ‘ Logic’ ) is a 1989 critically-hailed Kannada f lick . Based on Agatha Christie’s novel, ‘The Unexpected Guest’, the commercial blockbuster won a few awards too. Remade into Tamil ( Puriyaadha Pudhir ) and Hindi ( Chupp ) and, the suspense thriller is indubitably a milestone in Kannada films. The plot revolves around Akshay (Shankar Nag), a prisoner, who has escaped from custody and is on the run. The fugitive accidentally runs into his classmate, Sudha (Vanitha Vasu). Sudha confesses to murdering her sadistic, schizophrenic husband, Ritwik Kumar (Devaraj), who is monomaniacal in his suspicion of her fidelity. Akshay assists Sudha in disposing of the corpse; but, the two are soon targeted for blackma...

“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both” , wrote C. Wright Mills , a reputed American sociologist. “ ನಾಗರಹಾವು ”– ‘ Naagarahaavu ’ or, ‘ Cobra ’, in English– is a 1972 Kannada film, an evergreen classic that delves into the tangled world of relationships within the macrocosm of society. It explores how human relations shape lives, events and personalities. The movie melds together three stories– Sarpa Mathsara , Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu and Nagarahavu– of novelist, TR Subba Rao, popularly known as TaRaSu . The social drama won a plethora of awards; it was profusely successful at the box-office and was critically acclaimed as well. This film was remade in Hindi ( Zehreela Insaan ) , Tamil ( Raja Nagam )  and Telugu ( Kode Nagu ). The film revolves around the relationship of the male protagonist, Ramachari (Vishnuvardhan) with his childless school-teacher, Chamayya Meshtru ( KS Ashwath ). Chamayya, and his wife...

“ My imagination is a monastery; and, I am its monk,” wrote the English poet extraordinaire, John Keats. That imagination on occasion manifests in movie about a monastery though. " ಮಠ " (' Matha ', the term for ' Hindu denominational monastery ') is a 2006 Kannada film, which was a commercial success. The black comedy received thumbs-up from fans and critics alike; it won a few awards too. It has a theme that provokes thought and forces introspection in the audience. Little wonder then that the path-breaking flick has become an inflection point in mainstream movie-making; over time, it has assumed the status of a cult classic. The story revolves around the monkey business in a monastery; and, the waggishness of its monks. The film’s male lead, Venkatesha, alias Upakathe Govindu (Jaggesh), a taxi-driver, gives an account of past occurrences at a monastery, which runs an orphanage for differently-abled children. Unable to desist from worldly pleasures, t...

“ An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind,” is a saying often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi incorrectly. All the same, this take on the B iblical Hebrew 'eye-for-eye' tenet of retributive justice is no doubt rooted in pacifist ideology. " ದೇವತಾ ಮನುಷ್ಯ " (' Devatha Manushya ', which means ' Divine Man ') is a 1988 Kannada film, which was a superhit at the box-office. The social drama won a few awards too. Krishnamurthy (Dr. Rajkumar) is a sincere, diligent driver, who leads a simple life. He is in a relationship with Jaya (Geetha). Murthy's employer, Kapanipathy (Rajanand), is a man of repute in society; but, there is a dark side to his wealth and success. Murthy gets falsely convicted in a high-profile case involving heist of treasures from a temple. He is sentenced to a long-term in prison; so, he wants to seek retributive justice. Does Murthy succeed? Or, does wiser counsel prevail on him? Director Singeetham Srinivasa R...

“ As you sow, so do you reap ,” is a well-known pithy saying. Karma– or, action for an action, good or bad, as author Stephen Richards put it– does work in mystical, mysterious ways. “ ಉಂಡೂ ಹೋದ ಕೊಂಡೂ ಹೋದ ” [‘ Undu Hoda Kondu Hoda ’, which translates loosely to “ Ate and Went; Took and Went ”] is a 1992 Kannada film that weaves its plot around karmic reaction to one’s misdeeds. The satirical comedy won several awards; it was critically well received too. The male protagonist of the film, Krishna (Anant Nag) dupes simple, trusting village folk of their monies by pretending to be a ‘cow inspector’ and making false promises about the milk yields of imported cows. He even has a fling with Rukmini (Tara), a spunky belle. But then, he too falls prey to a honey-trap and loses all his ill-gotten money. This flick is Nagathihalli Chandrashekar ’s debut directorial endeavor. The rough edges are apparent; a few sequences are overly dramatized for some cheap, avoidable laughs. Thankful...

Dandupalya is a quaint village in Karnataka, which attained notoriety because of the misdeeds of a criminal gang with origins in that village. The merciless gang committed scores of ruthless rapes, burglaries and murders and unleashed a reign of terror in and around the metropolitan areas of Bengaluru. It is estimated that the gang killed in cold-blood over eighty people between 1996 and 2001. Eleven of the gang members were sent to the gallows. " ದಂಡುಪಾಳ್ಯ " (' Dandupalya ') is a 2012 Kannada film that documents the gruesome crimes of the notorious gang. The crime drama received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. It was dubbed in Telugu (' Dandupalyam ') and Tamil (' Karimedu '). The plot, rooted in reality, revolves around this tightly-knit group of bandits, who would feast on donkey meat and get drunk on hooch before hatching their devious plan. The next day, Lakshmi ( Pooja Gandhi ) would scout the neighborhood for...

It has been arguably said that you can only cheat a greedy man , not an honest one. True at times; not always. Often the naive too fall prey to the devilry of the consummate con artist. " ಸುಬ್ಬ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ " (' Subba Shastri ') is a 1966 Kannada film based on the novel Aashada Bhoothi  by  AN Murthy Rao. The crime drama, with the trappings of a family drama, was well appreciated by audiences and critics alike. The flick portrays, charmingly too, the pitfalls of harbouring excessively strong fraternal feelings; and, how fissures can develop easily within a family when outsiders with dubious antecedence rule the roost. The male protagonist, Subba Shastry (Kalyan Kumar) is a cheat, who sweet-talks his way quoting the scriptures and uttering pearls of wisdom. Blessed with a baritone voice, the wily, glib fellow can melt hearts with his euphonic, captivating renditions of devotional songs. With the police hot on his heels, Subba reaches the temple town of Melkote, ...

“ The very essence of romance is uncertainty ,” observed Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet. " ಬೆಳದಿಂಗಳ ಬಾಲೆ " (' Beladingala Baale ', which means ' Moonlight Lady ') is a 1995 Kannada film, which weaves uncertainty into the drama behind a romance. Based on a Telugu novel penned by Yandamoori Veerendranath and titled ' Vennello Adapilla ' , the flick deservingly won many laurels and awards; it received rave reviews from critics too . The male protagonist of the movie, Revanth (Ananth Nag) is a chess grandmaster, who returns home bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after beating the reigning world champion, Polonski in an international tournament. In spite of the accolades that he gets from friends and family, Revanth is dejected at the lukewarm reception from the media, not to mention the lack of a fan following. He soon receives a call from a doting female fan, who sets him and his bosom friend and confidante, James (Ramesh Bhat) on a wild-goose chase, or ...