Moving Pictures

Agneepath- My Review

2012-01-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

"Vijay Deenanath Chauhan, Poora naam, baap ka naam Deenanath Chauhan, gaon Mandwa".Amitabh Bachan immortalized this line in 1990s cult revenge drama Agneepath directed by late Mukul Anand.Revisiting the classic is always a bad idea since it draws many comparisons to the original.And also its impossible to recreate the magic of Amitabh Bachan' voice,his screen presence or the man himself.But when i watched the 2012 version of the movie is completely different and more realistic compared to the original.

Biggest asset of the movie is menacing Sanjay Dutt as Kancha and Rishi Kapoor in a negative role as Rauf Lala.And Hrithik Roshan also did a tremendous job but unfortunately he is not man enough to carry the role of a gangster.He looks tiny and looks like a boy in front of Sanjay Dutt but the movie is all about men,muscles,revenge,action.Hrithik was very good as a sophisticated English speaking hi tech thief in Dhoom 2 but he almost failed to carry the role of a local ruffian.

The original bad boy of Bollywood, Sanjay 'The Hulk' Dutt is as good as legendary Gabbar Singh and iconic Mogambo.He brought back the memories of all the menacing,merciless screen villains of 80s and 90s.His evil smile,bald head,philosophical dialogues and his menacing 'gollum'ish looks will surely bring nightmares to women and children.

The surprise package of the movie is Rishi Kapoor,lover boy of 80s.He gave a convincing performance as a drug dealer,flesh trader Rauf Lala.All these years i thought he is just a mediocre actor but he proved me wrong and also surpassed my expectations.

In recent times Bollywood filmmakers are trying hard to copy Hollywood and on the way they are losing their own identity.In most of the movies characters will be Indian but that character behaves,speaks and dresses like an American.(Americans are dominating the world both politically and culturally)But this movie is an exception.The lead actor dresses,behaves and talks like a common Indian.Lives a middle class life,prays Lord Ganesh,goes to temple.We can easily identify ourselves with the lead character.The writer and director did a awe inspiring work.I hope at least this year main stream Bollywood film makers start to think beyond foreign locations,six packs,bikini,glamour and concentrate on doing good movies.

Moving Pictures

2011-09-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Moving Pictures

Birth of an Actor

2011-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Throw stones and I will build a house try 2 burn me and I will use that fire 2 light my life.if u chase me I will reach goal faster.

I was astonished to see the above statement when maverick film maker Ramgopal Varma tweeted it long ago.What an incredible confidence this guy has!!!He is the best example for optimism and confidence. Most probably he is one of the best character actors Indian cinema has ever witnessed.Yes i am talking about the Prakash Rai also known as Prakash Raj.

One of my earliest memory of him is from t.v serial Guddada Bhoota telecasted on Doordarshan in early 90s.Needless to say,it had an unforgettable theme song which was rehashed from a Tulu Folk song and Prakash Rai made a name for himself from that serial.He slowly started to act in movies in supporting roles,most memorable are his small role in epic war movie Muthina Hara,Nishkarsha,Lock up Death and many Ravichandran's movies.

One fine day he got a call from guru K.Balachander and he offered him a role in the movie Duet which did wonders to his career.A small time actor from Bengaluru who started acting in stage plays, suddenly became a household name in South India and then a superstar.

According to me his three best performances are Iruvar in Tamil,Nagamandala in Kannada and Anthapuram in Telugu.His potential as an actor came out very well in Iruvar and he won National Award for it.It is considered as one of the best works of Mani Rathnam as well as Prakash Rai.It is the fictionalized account of the life of Tamil film icon MGR and writer politician Karunanithi.Prakash Rai played the character influenced by Karuna who speaks pure Tamil and Prakash Rai being a non Tamil carried the role very well.Coming to Nagamandala directed by multiple National Award winner T.S.Nagabharana,the way he spoke North Karnataka dialect Kannada in the movie is priceless.It is very hard for the guy who came from South Karnataka region.His acting is over the top once again and it became a surprise hit in the box office even though it was made with a artistic feel.After his Telugu blockbuster Okkadu he became most sought after villain in Tamil and Telugu and actually acted in lot of mindless commercial cinemas but invested the money he earned from it in making sensible cinemas through his production house, Duet movies.He made some critically acclaimed movies like Velliterai,Poi,Mozhi,Payanam,Puttakkana Highway etc.Most of them were commercial success as well.

I personally feel his acting skill is comparable to Hollywood giant, multiple Academy Award winning actor Jack Nicholson.In India, movies are very star centric and are made for masses.There is huge dearth of sensible audience who appreciates serious cinema.Generally, movies with rich artistic value is considered as elite and very less amount of money is spent on that kind of cinemas and also it gets very little amount of attention.Some of his brilliant Kannada movies which i know, deserved more recognition but ended up being an 'art' cinema with lack of promotion and he him had to choose mainstream commercial cinemas which hardly did justice to his enormous talent.

What surprises me the most is his command over the language and understanding the local culture and literature.He proved his versatility by doing lead roles, supporting roles,villian,comedian and also won two National Awards[Actually he deserves more] and many State awards,Filmfare awards.Indian cinema needs more intellectual producers,film makers who truly loves literature,cinema.Prakash Rai is one of them.He just needs respect and appreciation from the audience.

Paramathma First Look

2011-09-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

Movie: Paramathma
Director:Yograj Bhat
Cast:Puneeth Rajkumar,Ananth Nag
Music:Harikrishna
Release:October

He gave us epic Mungaru Male,and with Pancharangi he made us laugh.The man Yograj Bhat is back again with Paramathma starring the biggest box office star in Kannada filmdom Puneeth Rajkumar himself.The film is expected to create box office records.The film is shot in the beautiful locales of Sakleshpura,Dakshina Kannada and the surrounding coastal areas,Shimoga.Here is the first look

Saint of Indian Cinema

2011-08-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

The name is G.V. Iyer,Ganapathi Subrahmanya Iyer,'Bheeshma' of Kannada Cinema.He was born in Mysore to a orthodox Brahmin family in British India.He is known for making first ever Sanskrit film in the world.

He started his career in pioneer of modern Kannada theatre Gubbi Veeranna's drama company as an actor along with Dr.Rajkumar.Then he moved to cinema from theatre and acted in any mainstream commercial cinemas.He along with Rajkumar,Balakrishna and Narasimharaju produced Ranadheera Kanteerava with Rajkumar in lead which is the turning point in his career and also it is one of the most notable cinema of Kannada film history.He also acted in many commercial movies along with Rajkumar.Then he produced Vamsha Vriksha which brought three geniuses together.It was directed by great theatre personalities B.V. Karanth and Girish Karnad which went on to win National award for best direction in 1971.Another Kannada Superstar Vishnuvardhan made his acting debut through this movie.

Then he made musical Hamsageethe,a land mark in his career with then upcoming actor Ananth Nag in the lead.Its music is scored by Dr.Balamuralikrishna which won him critical acclaim and awards.The movie is based on a novel by Ta.Ra.Subbaro which was already made as a Hindi movie Basant Bahar in early 50s.

Adi Shankaracharya,a Sanskrit movie directed by him fetched him awards and international recognition.He became the first film maker in the world to make a movie in the most ancient langauge Sanskrit.

He made movies in Kannada,Tamil,Hindi and Sanskrit.He also made a movie on Swami Vivekananda in Hindi starring popular actors like Mithun Chakraborthy and Hema Malini.He made another Sanskrit movie Bhagvad Gita based on the Indian epic Mahabharath.

He passed away in 2003 in Mumbai.

10 movies to see before you die!!!

2011-01-02T06:15:00.000-08:00

Every Friday movies comes and many vanishes from the mind of audience but some stay and very few haunts.Alfred hitchcock's Psycho released in 60's but still the immortal bath room murder scene continues to remain in every film lovers consciousness.Our own Mugambo of Mr.India still brings chills down in the spines of many people.That is the power of cinema,the most loved and popular art form in any part of the world.So i am gonna write about some of the English movies which i think are masterpieces.I didnt include any Quentin Tarantino's movie here,because i think almost all of his movies are must see.

10.The Exorcist:One of the most popular horror film of all time directed by William Friedkin.Plot of the movie almost looked like it is inspired from many stories we hear from Indian villages.Everyday i used to hear similar stories in my hometown where i saw some of the so called exorcists.Story deals with the desperate attempt of a mother to bring back her daughter through exorcism who is dealing with demonic possession.Yes it has a ridiculous plot but trust me it will scare the hell out of you.

9.Rocky:The classic sports drama tells rags to riches story of a small time boxer played by my favourite hero(mark my word he is the real hero) Italian Stallion Sylvester Stallone.I watched the movie at least 5 to 6 times so far and each it unfolds the possibilities of will power of human being and inspires me a lot.Stallone himself written the screenplay based on a famous fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner.Many sequels followed it but any day first one is better than others.

8.The Jungle Book:Evergreen animated Disney classic based on the story by Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling and produced by Walt Disney himself.It tells the story of a 'man cub' Mowgli lost in the deep jungle and raised by wolfs.I think this is one of the most popular animated feature film ever.

7.Psycho:A psychological thriller directed by master of suspense thriller genre movies Sir Alfred Hitchcock.This is probably his best work till date and also one of the best movies in this genre.The shower murder scene,one of the most celebrated scene in the film history,it spawned many myths and legends over the years and also i think its one of the most controversial and debated scenes ever.

6.Schindler's List:An intense biographical drama directed by Steven Spielberg tell the story of Oskar Schindler who tried to save Jewish from Nazis in German invaded Poland.Steven Spielberg won an well deserved Oscar for this movie.Spielberg,being a Jew understood the pain of Jewish people very well.

5.Ben Hur: One of the most expensive movie of its time and also the most successful grossing over $90 million.An epic movie directed by master film maker William Wyler with a huge budget based on a novel.It was nominated for 11 Oscars matched only by Titanic and Lord of the Rings Return of the King.The chariot race scene is one of the best action sequence ever filmed,read somewhere that it took 3 months to complete the shooting.

4.The Kid: It is the story of the Tramp played by legendary Charlie Chaplin,who finds a baby and adopts the baby.Produced,directed,written by Charlie Chaplin and the character the Tramp became one of the most memorable characters in history of cinema.

3.Forrest Gump: My favourite movie of all time.It tells the story of Forrest Gump who was told he has a below average intelligence.One of the finest performances by Tom Hanks and also one of the most memorable performances ever.The film is wonderfully directed by Robert Zemeckis,it challenges societal norms with comical overtones.Most of the characters in the movie are memorable be it Bubba or Lieutenant Dan Taylor or Forrest.

2.Titanic:Most popular expensive epic romance film directed by James Cameroon,the movie is based on the sinking of The Royal Mail Ship Titanic in 1912.The love story and central character is fictional.Everything is so perfect in the movie.Be it casting,visual effects,sets,screenplay,direction everything.It is a flawless masterpiece and impossible to make it again. It was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11,again a great achievement.Hail James Cameron for such a wonderful movie.

1.The Godfather:When marverick film maker of India Ram Gopal Verma made movie called Sarkar,stated that "Like countless film makers all over the world,i have been deeply influenced by The Godfather".Such is the impact of this movie on every film maker all over the world.American gangster drama movie directed by Copolla based on the novel of same name by Mario Puzo starring legendary Marlon Brando as Vitto Corleone,Al Pacino as Micheal Corleone.Everything in the movie is so popular and immortal."I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" is one of the most popular movie quotes ever and also its soundtrack.Two sequels followed it but original always remains as the best.The Corleone family lives on in the mind of every movie buff even after 40 years.

There are many other movies like Lord of the Rings triology,Saving Private Ryan,Gone with the Wind,The Dark Knight,One flew over Cuckoo's Nest etc etc etc which are my personal favourites but couldn't add in the list.

A man with Midas Touch Upendra,the director

2010-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Upendra, fascinating story of a street boy who rose to fame as a writer,director,actor by his unconventional presentation,weird mannerisms,lots of controversies,anti women remarks,weird lyrics etc..etc..He debuted to silver screen as a director through a extremely low budget comedy movie "Tarle Nan Maga" after assisting master of low budget flicks Kashinath in many movies.He also wrote lyrics to some of his movies,besides acting in small roles.

His debut movie is memorable for its wacky comedy,double meaning dialogues,and funny man Jaggesh(incidentally it was his first movie as a hero).Recently i watched the movie and laughed,laughed and laughed.But before watching the movie one should keep his brain in the house because there is no much logic in the movie,only magic.It was a box office success.

Then next he made a cult horror movie called Ssshhh!!!.What a movie it was,simply superb.Again a low budget movie with lots of chills and thrills.It was 1992 and Upendra got critical acclaim as well as a super hit movie to his credit.It almost changed this dudes life from a street boy to a most promising directors of Kannada film industry.The movie revolves around a movie crew and a estate called Onti mane Estate which means Single house estate.The movie was made with a debutant actor who also produced the movie.

It was the time when budding journalist Ravi Belegere used to write articles on Bengaluru underworld by meeting rowdies in wee hours.Greatly inspired by that articles,Upendra made a script on an underworld subject based on a real life incident that happened in Bengaluru.He wanted to make the movie with the actor of his previous movie Sshhh but somehow met Parvatamma Rajkumar,the leading lady of Kannada cinema.She liked the script immensley and agreed to produce the movie.Lead actor was her first son most happening actor of that time(still he is) Shivarajkumar and the masterpiece made its way to silver screen.This movie quiet literally caught the attention of the nation(after this movie he got an offer from ABCL which he couldnt complete due to his other commitments).As far as i know it was the first movie which exposed the underworld to movie audience in India.Rgv's Sathya came later,only Nayagan is the notable film which came with an underworld subject but it was completely different.Nayagan is Godfather kind of movie and this movie is Scarface kind of movie.One is political and this one is pakka street.He made real underworld goons to act in the movie and its name is Om..Later remade or inspired kind of movies came in many languages but nothing matched the original.Even after 15 years,the satellite rights of the movie have not been sold.Still people flock to the theaters whenever it releases,it re released almost 8 times!!!and last time with digitally remastered print.

Then he made a forgettable movie called 'Operation Antha' sequel to yesteryear classic 'Antha' which made huge waves in early 80's and made Ambarish a star.It was a good concept but somehow he failed to bring it on screen,i think because of budget constraints.Trust me,Tamil blockbuster Anniyan movie had atleast 3 to 4 scenes which is almost similar to this movie.Both the movie dealt with corruption.

And then he made a huge mistake by acting and directing in a movie called A which became huge hit both in Karnataka and Andhra and he established himself as a lead actor.And he slowly concentrated on acting.There is no doubt that this movie is one of his best but it killed his love towards real cinema.Later in his acting career he almost lost his magic touch and lost his fan following but earned a lot of money.Back to this movie,one of my favourite movies of all time.The movie came with a tag line Only for intellectuals.So the name of the movie is A only for intellectuals.A is the cencor board certificate given in India for R rated movies and he used it in a positive way(yes he is creative and knows how to sell his movies).Screenplay is ultimate,it is like non linear screenplay just like Pulp Fiction yet appealed to mass audience.It was controversial because of anti women remarks.

Then he made Upendra movie,also a controversial and super hit movie but it was almost like a continuation of a character that comes in his previous movie A.This movie got released in dubbed and released in Japan.I heard one Japanese guy watched this movie in Bangalore and impressed by it as he felt story is similar to Buddha who leaves all the worldly pleasures at the end.Again a big hit and in between he made another movie called Swastik but failed.Raghavendra Rajkumar is the lead actor,even this brilliant Upendra couldnt help to relaunch his sinking career.

Then he acted in many crappy movies and wrote stories for some movies but most of them are not worth mentioning.One movie called Hollywood is worth mentioning here.Even it dealt with a human android robot like Endhiran,a hugely successful Tamil movie.Both movies had almost same plot.Somebody else directed it and was a box office bomb but is memorable for sci-fi subject and use of animatronic technology and it was completely shot in Hollywood,California.Anyway Kannada film industry cant afford a huge budget but still it was a very good effort.

Now he is back to direction after a hiatus of 10 years with 'Symbol' or Super,or whatever people call it.The movie has no name but a symbol which is similar to Dhyana Mudra.(Once again he proved he is extremely creative).Heard it is a Psychological thriller(or is it futuristic movie) which is releasing on December 03 which is today.Hope to see something crazy as well as creative.It is a trilingual movie made in Kannada,Telugu and Tamil.Kannada version is releasing first and others follow it later.

For me he is one of the finest directors of India and a great thinker,philosopher(his dialouges used to have philosophical over tones) creative and unique.Its almost impossible to think like him,most of his ideas proved it,especially names and posters of his movies.He is the master of tricks,marketing and gimmicks.Now its a trend to make gimmicks before releasing a movie which he used to do long time back.But now the question is,can we see Upendra Mania once again?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1oisbI5GRA

My affair with Cinema

2010-10-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

I was born in a small village in South Karnataka in a middle class family amidst western ghats where it rains heavily in rainy season and also screws you badly in summer.The land where watching movies is almost a taboo especially in middle class family,the land where education is the most important aspect of life(Yes it has number of colleges and can see students from all parts of the world in Mangalore).It is called as Buddivantara Naadu which means Land of Intellectuals(though it is losing its tag especially after the pub attack).No wonder its education rate is far above the national average.It is also called as the Cradle of Indian banking as most of the nationalised banks like Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Syndicate Bank, Vijaya Bank are evolved here.Manipal,one of the foremost universities, evolved in this place.In spite of growing in this place,studying in school or college didnt really attract me as much as cinema or literature.

My affair with cinema dates back to late 80's and early 90's.Some times around 88 or 89 all of our family members got together(may be for a special occassion) and brought a television and vcr for rent and watched 100 days Hindi movie,Kamal Hassan starrer silent movie Pushpaka Vimana and i think Rajkumar's Babruvahana.It was the time when one of my uncles bought a tv for the first time and my day used to start with it and end with it.I still remember some of the tv shows,i watched in those days mainly Zee horror show,Antakshari and also still remember watching Hoga Tumse Pyaara Kaun(Rishi Kapoor dancing on the top of a train) song .In early days there was no Kannada channel and we all were waiting to catch a Kannada movie on Sundays in Doordarshan.It was playing one regional movie on Sundays back then.Life was super cool and very simple back then.Very nostalgic.My mother always remembers how she used to take me to my neighbours house to watch Mahabharat in late 80's.I also have a pale memory of watching Premaloka movie,my sister in law was crazy about that movie.And may be.As far as i remember that was my first affair with cinema.

And later when i went to boarding school for primary education,i met people grown under different cultures,guys from different parts of the state.It is here i really started to talk about cinema though i didnt get an opportunity to watch any movies.By that time my father bought a television and in holidays i used to eat,drink and sleep in front of it.I watched many Kannada flicks mostly Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan's movies at that time, but i dont remember most of it now.As a kid i liked some of the children's movies of teen aged Arjun Sarja(Now big star in Tamil who is known as Arjun) who used to flex his well toned muscles and show his martial arts abilities(Yes he is black belt in Karate).He was hero for me back then,(ya,after seeing this guy i came to know about Bruce Lee).Then when i was in 1st standard or something i heard about a movie called Jurassic Park.I was desperate to watch it.Most of my friends who watched it used to say about a special animal called Dinosauras.In holidays watched it finally and thus it became my first English movie.As far as i remember,it was Hindi dubbed version.I almost cried in fear when i watched it in school i became one of the proud and elite members who watched a English movie.Also watched another children's film in Kannada which i remember still is Chinnari Muttha.It rocked my imagination.

Pulp fiction
In primary school days i heard another English movie's name but couldnt watch it at that time is Titanic.Year after year i became a huge movie buff.At that time i was a big fan of Hollywood action flicks especially Jackie Chan,Stallone,Arnold.Also watched a lot of sci fi movies just because it used to have a lot of graphics.Once me along with many friends from hostel went to watch Jackie Chan's First Strike movie after 10pm without telling our warden.There was a mini theater called Vasanth Video Vision in my native town.They used to play every movie from pirated cd's and it was a movie hub for us back then.Me along with many hostel mates watched a lot of movies in that theater. In high school or college i preffered to watch Hindi and some English action flicks.I liked watching posh locales,body builders type of men and hot chicks of Hindi cinema.Very hardly i used to watch Kannada movies,but i was a huge fan of Upendra and watched his classic A in tv.His rebellious attitude,philosophical dialouges,awkward looks, unconventional themes attracted me a lot.Then one fine day i watched making of Matrix movie and that made me to think about film making.

Song from Upendra movie
Then i landed in Bangalore to study Animation and that further made me to think seriously about films.I started to watch movie like a critic,started to criticize lot of Indian cinema.This period of my life will remain as one of the most memorable time of my life.We used to watch at least one movie daily,got exposure to other regional language films,became die hard movie buff.Also started to sit in cyber shops browsing about movies and that made me a internet addict(nowadays its hard to live without internet).Then came Mungaru Male,a movie which revived my interest in Kannada cinema.It came like a breeze,became a storm and smashed all the box office records.Now i am one of the keen follower of Kannada cinema as well as Hollywood,Bollywood and also other woods.

I spend most of my earnings to buy Dvd's and books or spend it to buy movie tickets.I want to make a huge Dvd library,now i have a collection of Kurosowa's Japanese movies,some other Western classics,Indian classics,one Italian movie.I watch lots of Korean movies and also a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino whose movies always gets on your nerves.But for me he is the best.Now dont say i should be jerk to love his movies.Actually you know what,i dont give a damn.

"Be afraid... Be very afraid."

2010-06-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

"Three years ago, three of my colleagues were investigating what happened in that house. Two died mysteriously. The third was never found".This is the dialouge from one of the scariest movies i have ever seen till now.I hardly watch horror movies because i am not comfortable watching it alone and it brings me nightmares.But fortunately or unfortunately i watched Grudge when i was studying in Bangalore and it really scared the hell out of me.The quote 'it never forgets and it never forgives' just brings me chill in the spine.Frankly ,the movie haunted me for many days.

Actually it is the remake of Japanese movie Ju-on The Grudge directed by Takashi Shimizu and the remake too is directed by him and must say he did a great job.Ghost is almost similar to The Ring movie,white face,long hairs,similar kind of costumes.I think every Japanese ghost looks like that (Ha..ha...ha..).

The movie is narrated through non linear sequence of events and the story unfolds through flashbacks. The protagonist (Sarah Michelle Gellar) enters a house to take care of a old women faces the curse of the ghost.The ghost will kill whoever enters the house knowingly or unknowingly to avenge the its death.(bad ghost huuh...)She tries every method to escape from the ghost but in vain.It finally kills her husband and bunch of others including a police officer who is investigating the case of the mysterious deaths in the house.But the Sarah somehow escapes from the ghost but gets killed in the sequel.The squealing voice of the ghost is the best part of the movie.Hats off to the person who dubbed the voice,she did a great job in scaring me and my room mates and may be many more people around the globe.

Without doubt it is a very good movie in my point of view but please stop making horror movies because it scares the shit out of me(especially Korean and Japanese).I heard Tale of Two Sisters is a very good movie and i am trying hard to ignore it.

My Analysis

2010-06-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

There are numerous articles on this iconic actor,singer,producer,fitness freak(yes he is.He did Yoga almost all his life and i think he knew better about fitness.He was like John Wayne u know!!!) and above all great human being.So rather than writing it once again, i will write about his best but lesser known movies.It was a trend back in 70's and 80's,the golden age of Kannada Cinema to make movies on Kannada novels and almost 70% of Rajkumar's movies are borrowed from novels.And needless to say most are huge hits and inspired many film makers of that era.His Kasturi Nivasa tempted legendery Sivaji Ganeshan and acted in the Tamil version,Bhakta Kumbara,a devotional masterpeice was remade into Telugu by Akkineni Nageshwara Rao and couldnt stop praising Rajkumar for his acting.Back then it was called Rajkumar era.
So my top 5 movies out of his 207 movies are

5.Gandhadagudi(Temple of Sandalwood):Only film in which both Dr.Rajkumar and Dr.Vishnuvardhan acted together.Saw this movies way back in 90's in T.V. and i was pretty impressed at that time.It is the story of a range forest officer and his estranged brother.The film was shot in the amidst of Bandipur and Nagarahole forest.Now movie is known for 2 reasons one is for its song which will be heard in almost every orchestro or every festival even after more than 30 years.And this movie is most famously known for a controversy which almost ruined the life of Vishnuvardhan.He was accused of shooting Rajkumar with loaded gun and media highlighted the incident.It enraged the fans of Rajkumar and thus Vishnuvardhan had to face a lot of humiliation.Anyway it was a cool movie with lots of action and adventure.

4.Jeevana Chaitra:This movie was released in the year 1992 and it marked the re-entry of Rajkumar to the cinema after 3 years.The movie created ripples at that time and many people forcibly shut down liquor shops across the state.Needless to say this movie is a fight of a common man against a liquor baron who is the father in law of his own son.This movie won him a National Award for Best Singer for the song ''Nadamaya'' which is shot in Himalayas and in the song Rajkumar is wearing only a dhoti and skimpy shirt.He is barefooted in the song too.I heard its fimmaker saying he walked barefooted and remained with the same costumes throughout the shooting of the song and didnt complain.I wonder where this Yoga can take a human being!!!!!

3.Kasturi Nivasa:It is refferred as one of the greatest Kannada movie of all time.It is the story of a rich buisnessman who lost his loved ones.It shows the dishonesty of greedy human beings.A simple story but well narrated with great meaningful songs and amazing acting by Rajkumar.

2.Naandi(The begining):I didnt see this movie but its theme fascinated me.I read a article when Hindi movie ''Black'' was released.It was about a movie called Naandi which won National Award way back in 60's and the article said it was almost similar to Blcak movie.The story is how a husband mentors his deaf and dumb wife.Really people used to make nice sensible movies at that time.Kudos to the whole team.

1.Mayura:A hard hitting patritoc periodic movie.Mayura is the founder of Kadamba kingdom and this movie is based on a novel.The story is almost similar to Mel Gibson's Braveheart,one man's fight against a kingdom.Though history says Mayura was a Brahmin scholar who faced humiliation in the court of Pallavas and to avenge his humilation he took sword and rebelled against the kingdom and finally defeated them.But the movie says slightly different story.Anyway for me its one of the best movies of Rajkumar and deserves a remake with lots of action,CG and adventure.It will be a nice periodic commercial pot boiler with lot of patriotic dialouges.

There are other movies which are worth a mention like Bangarada Manushya,Bidugade,Ranadheera Kanteerava,Krishnadevaraya.I like periodic movies because it needs a lot of research before writing the script and later designing the backdrop,armours,weapons,costumes.Wow!!! sounds interesting.Hell lot of a work but still cool!!!I hope someday the trend will come again.

A Rooster Which Layed Golden Eggs

2010-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

He was one of the earliest film maker who created a concept of cinema that was both mainstream but touched sensible and taboo subjects.His films were praised by common audience as well as film critics.His movies were heavily based on Kannada novels as he was a voracious reader of Kannada literature.The man is legendery Puttanna Kanagal,who according to me is a finest film maker but didnt exposed much to the media.Though he created a niche for himself in 60's 70's and early 80's,now he is largely forgotten.

He worked as a cleaner,salesman and finally as a publicity boy which brought him close to cinema.He started working as a assistant to B.R.Pantalu,a yesteryear film maker and directed his first movie in Kannada Saavira Mettilu(Thousand Steps) which stopped in the middle but after his death it was completed by his student Ksl Swamy and released in 2006.And later he directed another movie called Belli Moda(Silver Cloud).It was critical and commercial success which starred one of the finest actress of Kannada screen iconic Kalpana.It was based on novel by well known Kannada writer Triveni.A song called Moodala Maneya which is adopted from Jnanapith Awardee Da.Ra.Bendre's poems captures the beauty of early morning.It is said Puttanna searched for many weeks to find the perfect location to shoot the song.

Later he made Mallammana Pavada,his first movie with Dr.Rajkumar which showed the plight of a women who is married to a mentally dull person.The movie was later remade in Tamil as Enga Chinna Rasa by Bhagyaraj and later into Hindi as Beta.

His third movie is Kappu Bilupu(Black and White) which is based on the novel by Aryambha Pattabhi which dealt with contrasting behaviors of identical, yet distinct pair of twins.A Cinderella like story which showed the triumph of good over bad.Again Kalpana won laurels for her performance.Many similar themed movies came later including Hema Malini's Seeta Aur Geeta.

He later made one of his best classics Gejje Pooje(Mock Marriage) which was again based on a novel by M.K.Indira.The story revolves around the daughter of a religious prostitutes called Devadasis(which prevailed in 70's 80,s especially in North Karnataka and some parts of Maharashtra).It showed how her lover abandons her by the socail pressure when she tells him the fact that she is the daughter of a devadaasi.

Another worth mentioning movie is Sharapanjara(Cage of Arrows) which dealt with woman's chastity, the problem of acceptability of mentally ill by the society and unfaithful husband.It was a runaway hit and known for glamorous costumes of lead actress Kalpana.This movie captivated her as a performer and a top heroine of her time.I saw a almost similar movie 15 Park Avenue by acclaimed Bengali film maker Aparna Sen.

And then came Nagarahaavu(Cobra) which launched superstar Vishnuvardhan as a hero which was based on two novels by writer Ta.Ra.Su.The movie was made in 1972 which revolves around a short tempered boy and his teacher.This movie is actually the original "Angry Young Man" kind of movie which was later popularised by Amitabh Bachan.A young man who rebels against caste system.It also showed the intellectual conflicts between the teacher and student.at the end master gets defeated by his beliefs towards society.I read somewhere that K.Balachander inspired from this and made a movie on based on a love between a Hindu and Christian girl as shown in this movie.Its also remarkable for the debut of another leading actor of Kannada cinema Ambarish in a small but powerful role.It was later remade in most languages including Hindi starring Rishi Kapoor.A particular shot in the movie which showed a slow motion as well as normal speed in single frame is the highlight which said to be first time in Indian screen.And also appearence of actress Jayanthi in one song as folk women warrior Obavva is unforgettable and achieved cult status.

Edakallu Guddada Mele(On top of Edakallu Hill) is another masterpiece by master film maker which showed the desperation of a young women whose husband becomes impotent after the a war.And the young women falls for her young neighbour who seduces her.Though it is dealt with extra marital relationship,there is no much uneasy moments in the cinema and even the family audience can enjoy the movie.A song 'Viraha nooru nooru taraha' is a classic and is quite often interjected in banter to express the estrangement.The movie is based on a Bharathi sutha's novel.
Before this movie Jayanthi was known for doing glamorous roles but this changed it all.

Upasane(Devotion)a musical extravaganza.The songs "bhaaratha bhooshira", "bhaavaveMba hoovu arali", "aachaaravillada naalige" are fantastic and evergreen.He roped in his lover and versatile actress Arathi in the lead role and later went on to make many movies with her.Its the story of a singer and her teacher.

Katha Sangama(Collection of Stories),as tittle says its collection of 3 stories.It starred Kalyan Kumar, Rajanikanth, Saroja Devi, Arathi.It is a experimental movie and was shot in black and white.

His other movies Bili Hendthi(White Wife) which showed Indian family's hesitation in accepting a white European woman as a daughter-in-law.College Ranga(The College Stage) is a typical teen movie which showed the college politics,campus,love etc.Paduvaaralli Pandavaru(Pandavas of Paduvaru Village) is a story of 5 rebellious youth who rebels against a village chief which was later remade in Telugu and Hindi by renowed cartoonist and Film maker Bapu.His other films are Dharmasere,Ranganayaki,Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage,Manasa Sarovara, Amrutha Ghalige,Masanada Hoovu.

Ranganayaki(The Heroine of the Stage) shows the nuance of Oedipus Complex.A young man falls in love with a older women only to realise later that it is her estranged mother.

Amrutha Ghalige dealt with teenage pregnancy.

Manasa sarovara one of the finest and best movies of Puttanna.It dealt with human psychology.The movie is important as this was made after a similar tragic incident in the life of Puttanna.Later that year Moondram Pirai released which had similar plot.Its song "Neene saakida gini"" is the reference to his own life.Movie is a tragedy but went on to be a superhit.He made this movie after he broke up with his lover Arathi who used him as a ladder to be a top actress.

His last movie Masanada Hoovu is a story of a girl who ends up in a brothel.Puttanna died before finishing the movie.

He also directed handful of Hindi,Tamil and Malayalam movies.He introduced Vishnuvardhan,Ambarish,Rajanikanth,Vajramuni,Shridhar and many more actors.Well known Tamil direcor Bharathiraja was the assistant for him.And even Kamal Hasan worked as a assistant for him in one film.At the time of New Wave Cinema or Art Cinema,Puttanna's cinema stood apart.His cinemas were seen as a bridge between commercial cinema and alternate cinema.He was also well known for use of freeze shots.His movies were criticized for being too women centric and most of movies were based on novels.He died on 5 June 1985.And thus ended a great era of a great film maker.

A dreamer

2010-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

The world of cinema is blessed by many great film makers who set a benchmark in film making.One such person is legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosowa,who holds a unique place among the film makers all over the world.

Akira Kurosowa was born in Tokyo,Japan and failed to get into a art college but joined Proletarian Artists' League and worked for some years for newspapers.Then later he joined as a assistant script writer to established film maker of that era Kajiro Yamamoto and learnt the art of film making.

Finally,he debuted as director from the movie Judo Saga in 1943 which was based on a novel by Tsuneo Tomita.It was well received during the time of World War 2.Then he made a movie with actor Toshiro Mifune called Drunken Angel and went on to make almost 9 films with him and most of them are considered as classics.Then he got international recognition from the movie Roshomon which won many awards including a special Oscar.IT also inspired so many film makers around the world.His movie Ikiru is another classic which further strengthened his stature as a genius film maker.

Then he made classic Seven Samurai which was followed by many Samurai movies.This movie inspired many film makers across the world.It got a Hollywood remake called The Magnificent Seven and Bollywood classic Sholay too is inspired by it and also another Bollywood movie called Khote Sikke copied from the great movie.Even literary giants like Girish Karnad inspired by it and made a movie called Ondanondu Kaladalli in Kannada language which was pretty good and appreciated.He completely changed the script to suit the local culture.

A Fistful of Dollars directed by Sergio Leone too is copied from his Yojimbo.It was again remade remade in 1996 as a gangster movie Last Man Standing, starring Bruce Willis.

Some of his other epic movies are Tora!Tora!Tora!,Kagemusha,Ran,Dreams,Throne of Blood.Some of his works are adopted from William Shakespere's dramas.Ran is adopted from King Lear and Throne of Blood is adopted from Macbeth.

Many great directors were influenced by his works including Andrei Tarkovsky,Ingmar Bergman,Roman Polanski,Steven Spielberg,Martin Scorsese,Coppola,George Lucas,Sergio Leone etc...Recently Anaheim University launched the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film in the memory of him.

Black Friday

2010-04-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Black friday is one of the best movies i have ever witnessed in my life.After watching the movie i was one of the many fans of Anurag Kashyap and since then i am following his career like a loyal fan.That day i was just roaming around and went to my friend's place,they were watching some unknown movie called Black Friday.I just sat with them and watched the movie.Wow! it was just amazing!!

The movie is based on Black Friday - The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, a book written by S. Hussain Zaidi.Both the book and movie created a lot of controversy.Initially the movie was not allowed to screen but after two years of hiatus the movie finally got released.But the movie failed to attract the audience mainly because of lack of promotion.The movie is very realistically made,one chase scene of a suspect by police is very well made and shot in actual slums of Mumbai.(I felt like that is the actual slum).

The film was screend in many Film festivals and garnered positive reviews from most of the critics.It also won handful of awards.The performance of Kay Kay Menon is worth mentioning.The screenplay by Anurag is wonderful.It has an 86% fresh rating on very famous Roten Tomatoes website.British film maker Danny Boyle said that Black Friday is one of the inspiration for him to do Academy Award winner Slumdog Millionaire. And soundtrack of the movie is composed by one of the very earliest fusion band of India "Indian Ocean".The song "Bandeh" became immensely popular in India.The music too got critical appreciation as it is completely different from what an usual Indian movie offers.

But the movie is very underrated in India though it got recognition in foreign countries.

Walking Encyclopedia

2010-04-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

A man of many faces.This is what i say when i remember of a great writer,thinker,environmentalist,philosopher,educator,artist,film maker,social activist and Yakshagana artiste(is a folk dance drama popular in coastal Karnataka).He is also one of the 7 Jnanpitha award winner for Kannada,a higest award given to any literary works by Govt. of India.

This genius born in Udupi district of coastal Karnataka in Brahmin family.He left his studies to participate in India's freedom fight.At the same time he started to write plays and novels.Later he wrote literary masterpieces like Marali Mannige,Chigurida Kanasu,Chomana Dudi,Mookajjiya Kanasugalu,for which he won Jnanapith award,Hucchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu,an autobiography.Chomana Dudi and Chigurida Kanasu went on to be cinemas.Chomana Dudi movie won the Swarna Kamal,National Award for the best film in 1975.His contribution to Yakshagana is also remarkable.He tried to revive this semi-folk art and made some experiments in Yakshagana using Russian Ballet.He also tried his hand in painting,he wrote books on folks,science,fiction.He also wrote a book on birds at the age of 95!(Craazzzy huh!!!).Apart from the 47 novels, he also wrote 31 plays, 4 short stories, 6 books of essays and sketches,13 books on art, a standard treatise on the Yakshagana, a three volume book of knowledge for children, a four volume encyclopedia on science for grown ups, 240 children's books, six books on travel, two books on birds, three travelogues, an autobiography.He has 417 books to his credit.He also tried his hand in art and designed cover page for his books.

He won Jnanapitha award for his book 'Mookajjiya Kanasugalu' which means Dreams of mute gandmother.Hucchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu is his autobiography and he also wrote second part of his autobiography called Smrathipataladinda.He built a toy train and it was the first toy train in Asia.He also won Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award but returned it in protest against emergency.He also won Swedish Academy award.He is also been awarded as one of the ten makers of India in last 60 years by CNN-IBN.About 87 books were written on him and he the only person in Asia on whom so many books have been written.He is the winner of Sahitya Akademi, as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi also a Jnanpitha and Tulsi Samman.He also won doctarate from many universities in India.A rare achievement.He was rightly called "Walking Encyclopedia".

His son Ullas Karanth too is an environmentalist and tiger expert and working for Newyork based Wildlife Conservation Society.

This genius left his imprint on every cultural arena.This literary giant died in 1997 at the age of 95.He lived all his life quietly in Kota,a small village.Later shifted to Puttur.He never came to big cities in search of fame or money.But this great visionary,activist,humble human being plunged into politics and got defeated!!

Teesri Aankh

2010-01-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

V.K.Murthy,the name mostly unfamiliar to many movie enthusiastics in India.For the record he is one of the eye of legendary Guru Dutt.He is the man who captured the beauty of Waheeda Rehman in Kagaz ke Phool.Yes,he is the cinematographer who started a new era in Indian cinema industry and now the first cinematographer to win Dadasaheb Phalke Award in India.

The first man to shot 75mm film in India deserved this award long ago.But happy to know that finally Govt.of India recognised the work of this great technician who gave new dimension to cinema.

A Kannada movie called "Hoovu Hannu" directed by S.V.Rajendra Singh Babu is well known for great songs sung by Dr.Rajkumar,SPB,C.Ashwath,thanks to the brilliant music by 'Naada Brahma' Hamsalekha had cinematography by Mr.Murthy for which he won an award from Karnataka Govt.The biography of V.K.Murthy named 'Bisilu Kolu' written by Uma Rao,(Kannada) was released in January 2006 at Bengaluru.

Congratulations Mr.Murthy for the award.

The fallen star

2009-12-31T06:13:00.000-08:00

Sampath Kumar son of H.L. Narayana Rao and Kamakshamma is born on 1950 in Mysore.When he was going to college,director Puttanna Kanagal saw him in National College Bangalore and invited him to attend the screen test for his new movie.No wonder he got selected and Puttanna renamed him as Vishnuvardhana.

The name of the movie was Nagarahaavu(Cobra)which told the story of Ramachari,a rebel Brahmin boy.When the movie released it went for a huge hit and a star was born.Vishnu's hairstyle in the movie became a craze among the youths of 70's.After that he rocked the industry with numerous hits and great performances.Though his debut movie is Vamshavriksha,he came to limelight with Nagarahaavu movie.

Vishnu married actress Bharathi,who is elder and a bigger star than him at the moment.Things were going well until he acted in a movie called Gandhadagudi with Dr.Rajkumar.Misinterpretation of statements by the media created lot of controversies which led Vishnu to lot of harassments.His family was threatened and when his father died,the funeral procession was interepted by pelting the stones.Inspite of all these he emerged as a winner in life.Vishnu started to wear the "Kadha" in his left hand from 1980.He first wore it in the movie Simhajodi which remained with him till his death.

One of his most memorable movies is Muthina Haara in which enacted Major Achappa's role.It showed the horrors of the war.It is considered as a cult classic in Kannada filmdom.While shooting for the movie, Vishnu performed a dangerous parachute dive without a double and missed death by a whisker.And his movie Bandhana,made him popular with women audience and went on to be a huge blockbuster.It still remains one of the all time hits in Kannada film industry.In the movie Laali,he played the role of single parent.Suprabhata is also another memorable movie.Some of his memorable movies are Nagara Haavu, Muthina Haara, Hombisilu, Sahasa Simha, Bandhana, Naagara Hole, Nishkarsha, Yajamana, Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu and Apthamitra.Though he had an action hero image in the beginning of his career,he later turned towards love stories and family dramas.He also acted in few Bollywood movies and also in an episode of TV serial 'Malgudi Days' Episode 18 -'Forty-Five a Month', directed by Shankar Nag.His paired opposite Suhasini in many movies and the pair considered as one of the best in Kannada films.

Besides this he was also a singer and rendered his voice for some of his movies.He also sang for devotional albums.Some of his albums are 'Jyothiroopa Ayappa', 'Thayi Bhanashankari' and 'Vishwapremi Ayappa'.His song Thuthu Anna Thinnoke from the movie Jimmi Gallu, and Kannadave Nammamma from Mojugara Sogusugara are very popular.

He was honoured with many awards for his performance in movies. His awards include 6 south Indian Filmfare, 7 State Awards for his acting, a Filmfare for lifetime achievement and Dr. Rajkumar Award 2009. He had got Honorary Doctorate from Bangalore University.He was also nominated for National Award in the Best Actor category twice.One for Muthina Haara and another for Veerappa Nayaka.After all these so called awards are biased(remeber Saif Ali Khan got this award for Hum Tum).I think he really desrved it in Muthina Haara movie itself.His fans call him as Sahasasimha.True to the name he remained as a Lion forever.

During his last part of life, he was growing more interested in spirituality.He was a disciple of Bannanje Govindacharya,a spiritual leader.And he was also a follower of Shirdi Sai Baba and used to wear white cloth on his head.

As per his teachers he was the most handsome boy in the college and what the young Sampath wished for was to be recognised by girls as he walked around Gandhi Bazaar.He was a left-hander and polygot.He could speak almost 6 languages.He was also a great cricket follower and a good player himself.He had his own cricket team called ‘Sneha Loka,’ which consisted of his personal friends.

His untimely death in Vikram Hospital Mysore on 29th December 2009 due to heart attack at the age of 59 is shocking.

Story of a Pearl

2009-11-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

In olden days,the only method of collecting pearls was by manually diving to the sea and gathering large numbers of pearl oysters from the ocean floor.And for generations sea divers withstood all the obstacles and collected pearls from deep sea.History says that around 550 B.C there was a large amount of pearl divers in India.

Most of the people might not have seen a movie about deep sea divers in India.Ya, there is one movie which was made in 80's in South of India which was directed by a master film maker called Shankar Nag starring Dr.Rajkumar as the protagonist.The name of the movie is "Ondu Muthina Kahte" which literally means "Story of a Pearl".The movie is loosely based on John Steinbeck's English novel "The Pearl". The movie tells a story of small community in Karnataka,South India which depends on pearls for their livelihood.Most of the men and women are uneducated but well versed in sea diving.As they are uneducated,they are easily cheated by the traders. One day he finds a big,shiny pearl in the sea.Suddenly many of his friends turns in to enemies and tries to have it but it somehow reaches back to him.Finally he gets disappointed by the human greed and throws it back to sea.

Highlight of the movie is underwater sequence which was shot without oxygen in Maldives island with a German cameraman.(I heard Shankar Nag saying it in his last interview).The camera was brought from Canada and in one scene there is fight between lead actor and an Octopus which is brilliantly shot(May be animotronics...its my wild guess..it has to be because there was no computer graphics in 80's).It is really a masterpiece but forgotten and of course master performance by Dr.Rajkumar who was around 60 years of age at that time (amazingly he looks fit..thanks to his Yoga habits).In entire movie he wore nothing but small skimpy dress.(I dont think any Indian "superstars" will do that nowadays except few). Music is composed by L.Vaidyanathan who worked with Shankar Nag in classic Malgudi Days which is beautifully rendered by Dr.Rajkumar and S.Janaki. We cinema lovers really miss Shankar Nag."Please come back and enlighten the present generation of fim makers".

Stumble

2009-11-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

Recentley i happened to see an Indian English movie called Stumble directed by Prakash Belawadi.I heard the movie's name long back but i couldnt watch it.Somehow i watched the movie recently and completeley dumb struck.Its a off beat movie you will remeber for long time because of the theme which suits the present situation better.I think the movie was slightly ahead of its time.It stars versatile Ananth Nag and evergreen Suhasini Manirathnam,undoubtedly the most intellect and accomplished actors of their generation.The movie shows the plight of Indian middle class family suffered by the software bust and financial scams.

The story revolves around Ananth's character Anand Rao who has taken voluntary retirement from his job and invested all his money in a mutual fund which goes for a financial crisis and closes down.His wife Nandini (Suhasini),a typical Indian housewife who keeps on encouraging her talented daughter and soothes her frustrated husband.His only son looses his job in USA and comes back to India and company his daughter works for folds up.

The film also casts popular Kannada screen villain and character actor Mukhyamantri Chandru as a crooked politician and head of a cooperative bank, comic actor Sihikahi Chandru as his side kick, and several other theatre actors from Bangalore. Kannada serial starlet and talented singer,who earlier acted in Belawadi's acclaimed Garva serial,M D Pallavi acts as the daughter with Ajit Hande as the son.

The cinematography of the movie is by American Clay Kelton who also acted as a Mauritius-based businessman and Russel Burns acts as British buisnessman

It also has some comical relief like a routine Indian commercial cinema,a guy who is working in an IT firms is the son of the president of ALL SOUTH INDIA RAMBHA FANS ASSOCIATION wants to quit the job and make movies with Rambha.(a famous cinema actress when the movie released).But the comedy scenes doesnt look like it has been added forcibly, just to make it commercial,like many Indian commercial cinemas.It just comes in the script and the character is very much part of the movie.

And performances of every actors are very good.What can i say about Ananth Nag and Suhasini.Everybody knows what kind of actors they are.And the journalist turned filmmaker Prakash Belawadi who was journalist of English dailies like Indian Express,The Asian Age and Bangalore Bias,did a neat job.Efforts of singer,actress M.D.Pallavi is worth mentioning.Kannada movie actor Mukhyamantri Chandru also acted well.His typical dialouge delivery and mannerism,which is familiar with the Kannada audience is continued here too.His English dialouge with Kannada accent suits his character very well.It is siad, the dotcom bust influenced Belawadi's script.

The movie was screned in Prakash Belawadi's debut film Stumble opened at the fifth International Film Festival of Mumbai (IFFM).And also won National Award for best English movie in 2003.

The Souls of Brown Folk

2009-11-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Most of you might have heard about Achilles or Hercules.Most probably because of the "Troy" movie or may be because most of the Indians are interested in western stories than Indian.

Now check out these two legendary twin brothers called Koti and Chennayya who revolted against social injustice and cast system roughly 500 years back.Koti,Chennayya,the twin heroes characterized in the Tulu epic are worshiped and remembered as protectors.

Koti Chennayya born to Deye Baidethi of Billava(I think billava is derived from Kannada word "Billu" which means Bow. The word Billava probably means Archers who were a warrior caste among the Dravidians who ruled most of India during ancient times) family.They both died while fighting against the enemy near Emmur in Sullia near Mangaluru where there is a memorial called Garadi which is also considered as temple for Billavas.Garadi which is derived from the Kannada or Sankrit(i am not sure about it) word "Garodi" which means gymnasium,as they both were body builders.Once in a year festivals called "Nema" is celebrated in the Garadi.There are still more than 66 garadies across Dakshina Kannada district.

Deyi Baidati who saved the life of King Permal dies during the child birth and the king takes responsibility of the children and Sayana Baida the maternal uncle takes the custody of the kids and gives them all the education under the supervision of the King.But everyone keeps them away mainly because they are from low caste and also they thinks they are threat to the King.The legend says in a battle between Panda Kingdom and Iayyanoor, Permal Ballal trickily kills Koti and Chennayya ends his life as he could not withstand the grief of Koti's death.It is believed that Koti-Chennaya were born in 1594 and died (During the Emmur War) in 1629 A.D. They were born in Padumale of Puttur taluk and died in Emmur of Sullia, where their old Gardi exists.Still you can see their Samadhi in Emmur.Their sister Kinni Daaru also being worshipped along with the brothers.

There are many "Yakshaganas"(dance drama popular in the coastal region of Karnataka),peoms,folk stories on them.A movie based on their life called 'Koti Chennaya' Bagged National Award.

Garland of Pearls....a movie

2009-10-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

Muthina Haara which literally means Garland of Flowers is a Kannada movie directed by Rajendra Singh babu based on a Kannada novel.The movie is considered as a cult classic and also won an National Award.The movie is still remembered for its brilliant performance by leading man Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini Manirathnam. It was released in 1990.The movie is set in 40's,50's and 60's.

The movie is a story of Achappa ,a soldier from Kodagu,Karnataka.Movie starts with World War 2 and ends with India China war of 60's.

The injured Achappa meets a lady from Kodagu who is a army nurse and falls in love with her. They both get married and after the war Achappa becomes Army Major.In between they lose their only child in Rajasthan border.And one day India China war breaks out,Major Achappa along with other soldiers gets captured by Chinese and tortured.Somehow they escape from China and comes to India only to get shot near the border.

Major portion of the movie is shot in Kashmir.It effectively showed the horrors of war.Vishnuvardhan won critical acclaim for his brilliant performance as a young lover,middle aged husband and 45 years old Major.It was made in the line Guns of Navrone.Really a great movie to watch .(lot better than Hindi movie Border).I think it is one of the few well written Indian war movies which deserves to get recognised.Lead role is very exciting and challenging for any actor.

The fall

2009-10-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

A lesser known movie directed by Tarsem Singh.I personally liked the movie for its splendid camera work and also for the the way it is shot in most exotic locations of the world(.It is shot in 18 countires).I think the director got full creative freedom for the movie and he definitely lived up to the faith of the producer.Tarem,the director usually directs music videos and commercials,so far directed 2 movies.First one is The Cell starring Jennifer Lopez,a thriller.

The Fall is a story of a injured Hollywood stunt man and a small kid,Alexandria, whom he meets in the hospital.He tells her a story of 5 heroes,an Indian ,an ex-slave,an Italian explosive expert,a masked bandit,and a biologist who seeks revenge.They all want to kill the evil Governor and they will be accompanied by a mysterious man who emerges from a tree.As he tells the story to Alexandria,she imagines the story.

The child actress Catinca Untaru has done a wonderful job.Though the other actors are excellent,its Catinca who steals the show.Her child like dialouges are the best part of the movie.

So all the movie crazy peoples out there,watch this movies.Dont download the movie,buy it or rent it.A great movie to watch,treat for your eyes.