Ranadheera Kanteerava
Ranadheera Kantheerava | |
---|---|
Balakrishna | |
Starring | Rajkumar Leelavathi K. S. Ashwath Udaykumar Balakrishna |
Cinematography | B. Dorairaj |
Edited by | N. C. Rajan |
Music by | G. K. Venkatesh |
Production company | Kannada Chalanachitra Kalavidara Sangha |
Distributed by | Ramesh Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 141 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Kannada |
Ranadheera Kanteerava is a 1960 Indian
The film was released at a time during the severe crisis in the Kannada film industry due to the financial constraints. It was produced through a co-operative forum called Kannada Chalanachitra Kalavidara Sangha formed by actors Rajkumar,
Plot
In 1637, the Kingdom of Mysore is ruled by Maharaja Immadi Raja Wodeyar. However, his inefficiency in administration and womanizing ways have led to Dalavayi Vikramaraya serving as the de facto ruler. Vikramaraya poisons the Maharaja to death inadvertently through Rajamata Thimmaja Ammani. He then appoints wrestler and the deceased maharaja's cousin Ranadheera Kanteerava the new ruler, intending to control him as a puppet.
Kanteerava is a benevolent ruler and is compassionate towards his subjects. He first rules that they pay only a small part of their agricultural income as tax in place of the existent share of half their income. Upon learning about the poor economic condition of the kingdom, he directs that a new currency made out of gold be
Doddi, a devadasi of a temple in Srirangapatna, desires to learn music from an hesitant music teacher Vishwanatha Shastry. Shastry believes music is to be practiced in the cause of the state and not for entertainment or other purposes. He relents after Doddi promises to him that she would not marry or give in to lust. Kanteerava learns of Doddi's beauty and secretly leaves his palace to meet her in disguise every night. The two fall in love and marry. One of Kanteerava's fathers-in-law is convinced that Doddi is hatching a plan to have him killed after it was planted in his head by the now Dalavayi, Nanjaraja. The latter is conspiring with Senduraimalla, the brother of Veeramalla to kill Kanteerava. Kanteerava averts an assassination attempt on him by killing all his attackers, and issues an order to banish Doddi after suspecting her role in the attempt. Upon learning that she is innocent, he runs to her only to find her having committed suicide.
Cast
- Rajkumar as Ranadheera Kanteerava
- R. Nagendra Rao as Dalavayi Vikramaraya
- Udaykumar as Vishwanatha Shastry
- T. N. Balakrishna as Appanna
- Leelavathi as Doddi
- Sandhya Shantaram
- Narasimharaju as Kasturi
- H. M. S. Shastry
- K. S. Ashwath as Nirisha
- H. R. Shastry
- Veerabhadrappa
- Kantha Rao
- Papamma
- G. V. Iyer
- Ramadevi as Thimmaja Ammani
- B. V. Radha
- Saroja
- B. K. Eshwarappa
- Sorat Ashwath
- M. S. Subbanna
- Chi. Udayashankar
- Mahalinga Bhagavathar
- Shankara Narayana Rao
Historical significance
Narasaraja Wodeyar I (1638 – 1659) popularly known as Ranadheera Kantheerava was an emperor in the royal Mysuru dynasty. He was a man of immense physical strength and was known as an intense wrestler in the Kingdom. He was an exponent in a form of wrestling called Vajra Mushti. He was also a musician with a strong liking towards arts and literature. He used the Srirangapatna town as his capital. Soon after his death in 1659, all his 10 wives committed Sati and ended their lives.[9]
Cultural significance
This film is credited to have spurred the Kannada cinema industry in the direction of historicals. This was produced as a joint venture under at a time when the Kannada cinema industry was facing severe financial crises and its enormous success is reported to have not only re-instilled confidence in the Kannada cinema industry but inspired other historicals in quick succession. Even today, it stands as a sort of guidepost to making compelling historical dramas in Kannada. The chief merit of Ranadheera Kanteerva is the level of authenticity in several key aspects. The first is the Kannada language used during Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar's days - both by the royalty and the common people. To a keen student of the inflections that Kannada has undergone, this forms a useful study. Equally authentic are the depictions of the protocol, manners, customs, and traditions of palace life. The movie also brings out a few nuances of palace intrigue, tangentially touches upon some aspects of the administrative machinery and the system of espionage by weaving them together in a rather dramatic fashion. This level of detail was made possible due to extensive research and first hand knowledge of the Mysore palace life that the film's writer Sri G.V. Iyer possessed.[10][11]
Soundtrack
Ranadheera Kantheerava | |
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Sa Re Ga Ma |
Ranadheera Kantheerava soundtrack consists of 7 songs all composed by G. K. Venkatesh and written by G. V. Iyer.[12]
Track # | Song | Singer(s) | Lyricist |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Radha Madhava" | P. B. Sreenivas, A. P. Komala | G. V. Iyer |
2 | "Karunada Vairamudi Kantheerava" | Radha Jayalakshmi, Rajalakshmi | G. V. Iyer |
3 | "Kabbina Billanu" | Sulamangalam Rajalakshmi | G. V. Iyer |
4 | "Sangeetha Devatheye" | P. B. Sreenivas | G. V. Iyer |
5 | "Enidu Rosha" | P. B. Sreenivas | G. V. Iyer |
6 | "Enna Mogava" | Radha Jayalakshmi | G. V. Iyer |
7 | "Sanchari Manasothe" | S. Janaki | G. V. Iyer |
See also
References
- ^ "GV Iyer Dead". Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Kannada films for all time". 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Kannada films for all time". 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Rajkumar Turns Producer". Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "56 years after activists started protesting against dubbed films: Sandalwood has gone Commando - Bangalore Mirror". Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Parvarthamma Rajkumar Column 4". Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ISBN 0-19-563579-5.
- ^ "The wrestler King of Mysore whose ten wives committed sati". Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Contributions of Kannada Cinema to Historical Dramas". prekshaa.in. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Contributions of Kannada Cinema to Historical Dramas". prekshaa.in. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017.
- ^ "Songs list". Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
External links
- Ranadheera Kanteerava at IMDb
- K. Moti Gokulsing, Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas ISBN 978-0-415-67774-5