Jul 22, 2005 10:50 AM
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(Updated Jul 22, 2005 11:04 AM)
Kannada movie industry is in news again ! Thanks to Tara, who won the Best Actress Award and Girish kasaravalli who also won National Award in the current year . The first Kannada movie to hit the silver screen was Sati Sulochana the industry grew from strength to strength in later years.
The real thrust came in the 50’s when the first generation stars including the evergreen and most popular star Raj kumar came to the screen with the mythological film Bedara Kannappa. It was during this period that other stalwarts like Uday Kumar, Kalyan Kumar, Nagendra Rao, K.S Aswath, Pandari Bai, Leelavathi etc., came on the movie horizon.
Like in other languages Kannada movies also were dependent mainly on tear jerking stories with songs, action and humour. Even during this period Kannada industry produced a movie called School Master which, not only many awards but did win the hearts of movie goers. The movie which was produced by B.R.Panthulu featured an old but committed school teacher who transforms the students of his native village though his own sons abandon him. The film was trend setter in an era filled with historical and mythological movies.
Kannada movies really blossomed in the late sixties and seventies, till then the industry which revolved around the stars suddenly found Dirctors with equal star value. The second genration stars Vishnuvardhan, Ambarish, Srinath, Lokesh, AnatNag, Shankar Nag, Bharathi, Kalpana, Jayanthi, Arathi etc., came on the screen. With the advent of ace Directors like Puttanna kanagal, Siddalingaiah, Geetapriya etc., who, while sticking to the familiar commercial aspects of films produced films which gained popularity both with the masses and classes. Films like Bellimoda, Gejjepooje, Sharapanjara, Nagara havu, Bangarada Manushya, Bhoothayanna maga Ayyu, Besuge etc., took Kannada film industry to new heights. It was during this period that Kannada film industry became the envy of others when it showed that New Wave films can really survive in the midst of cut throat competition from the mamooli masala film.
The most talked about Kannada movie which created awe amongst the new wave film producers and became a trend setter for other films in the same mould was Samskara produced and directed by Pattabhirama Reddy the movie based on a explosive novel by Dr. U.R.Ananthamurthy. The film created a furore as it raised the question what is culture – following traditions and rules blindly, whether a person loses his culture once he fails to keep these promises. The film shows a Bramhin Naranappa rejecting his brahminhood and indulges in all kinds of vices which were taboo under the Brahmanya rule, after his death the village turns to the other respected Brahmin Praneshacharya to resolve the issue who has to perform the Samskara . Praneshacharya himself gets attracted to the low caste woman Chandri and he informs the assembled people that he is incapable of solving the dilemma as he himself has fallen from the height of Dharma. While the village is discussing the issue the body of Naranappa begins to rot, at this juncture Chandri with the help of a Muslim friend cremates the body. The movie had stalwarts like Girsh Karnad, Lankesh, Snehalata Reddy etc., who created a new trend in the parallel cinema. Indian cinema which was till then revolved around Satyajit Ray in the International arena suddenly found new names to cater to the needs of competitive cinema elsewhere.
The trend set by Samskara was ably taken to greater heights by stalwarts like Girish Karnad, B.V.Karanth, Lankesh, G.V.Iyer, Prema Karanth, Girish Kasaravalli, etc., Films which brought Kannada films to International arena were Vamshavruksha, Phaniyamma, Ghata Shradhha, Kaadu, Chomana Dudi, Ondanoondu Kaaladalli, Tabarana Kathe, Mane, Harake etc.,. In recent time we have Tayee Saheba, Dweepa, America America which has captured the imagination of movie goers.
In recent time though we have films like Dweepa, Nagamandala, Singarevva etc which can be termed as taking new routes, we can not term them as path breaking. Though we have commercially successful films like Apta Mitra, Akash etc., , It is sad that such an Industry which was a model for others has now mired itself in mediocrity and is drifting aimless. It is time that people like Karnad, Kasaravalli, Nagabharana, Nagathihalli take lead in giving new meaning to movies and picturisation. It is in this background that we must congratulate Tara for her guts to produce a new wave movieHaseena depicting the turbulence in a muslim family and winning for herself National Award amidst fierce competition by artistes like Aiswarya rai, Rani mukherjee etc.,
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