It’s been forty years since T. S. Nagabharana made his debut as a writer – director of Kannada cinema. And, for every decade, he’s given at least two landmark films. From Grahana , in the 70s, to Kaanoorayana , earlier this year, his films have tackled various subjects like caste discrimination ( Aasphota ), the rise and fall of a person ( Banker Margayya ), the search for truth ( Aakasmika ), etc. And his genres have a long list, too – romance ( Janumada Jodi ), thriller ( Bangarada Jinke ), and period drama ( Kallarali Hoovagi ).
The small towns in his films come alive with gregarious characters and the filmmaker knows how to arrest you with his narrative techniques. In this exclusive interview with The Hindu , he talks about his films, the television industry, awards, and his long association with theatre.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
You received the national award for Best Screenplay for your first film ( Grahana ) itself and, then, you had to wait for a couple of years to get a producer for your second film.
Producers feel that if you get an award, you won’t be able to handle a commercial film. I wanted to make an art film based on “The Financial Expert” by R. K. Narayan (which was later made as Banker Margayya ). But the producer had made up his mind to make a commercial film, and he also gave me the story of BangaradaJinke . Shankar Nag was supposed to star in the movie.
I had given him Rs. 100 as advance during the making of Ondanondu Kaladalli . He listened to the story along with his brother (Anant Nag) and then Anant surprised us by saying they were making a film on similar lines called Janma Janmada Anubandha . Shankar didn’t want to do another film based on reincarnation. Then, we went straight to Vishnuvardhan’s house. I narrated the story to Vishnu and Bharathi. That’s how they were brought in.
You have turned plays, novels, and even poems into movies. How do you convert literature into films?
Every form of literature has its own visual sense. When I watch a play, or read a novel, I take the plus points and see how I can visually communicate it to the audience. You have to take the purpose of the novel – see what it tries to say – and add elements to it to make a good film. I was able to experiment with my films because of the knowledge I earned from theatre and literature.
How did “ Huttidare Kannadanadalli Huttabeku ,” unarguably the most famous Kannada song, from the movie Akasmika happen?
Originally, Hamsalekha and I didn’t want a song in the climax. But Varadanna (Rajkumar’s brother) insisted on having a song there. He suggested that we divert the audience during the final few minutes by giving them an entertaining song, and, then, pulling them back to the showdown (where Rajkumar puts an end to Vajramuni and his henchmen). When Hamsalekha wrote the first line ( Huttidare Kannadanadalli Huttabeku, Mettidare Kannada Manna Mettabeku ), I immediately gave him “ Baduku jatakaa bandi ” from Mankuthimmana Kagga . And Annavru happily recorded the track. He loved it so much that he started dancing to the song at every function.
What’s easier – adapting literature into films, or writing original screenplays?
Both are difficult. In literature, you can say, “He’s sitting under a tree.” However, when it comes to films, you have to mention which tree he’s sitting under.
Even with a readymade story, you’ll have to make changes to the screenplay. With an original screenplay, though, changes keep happening until the last minute. I have made all kinds of films. I have also made a film named Vimochane that revolves around an incident. It was based on a Madras High Court judgement. I studied the entire case and wrote the screenplay for it. I made a film based on poems ( Mysore Mallige ), too.
All the films you’ve directed, so far, are in Kannada. Your titles carry pure Kannada words.
If we don’t widen our language through media, we’ll lose it. Can we grow by sidelining a language that has a history of more than 3,000 years? There aren’t many people who love Halegannada (Old Kannada) today. Yet, we staged Raghavanka’s Harishchandra Kavya in Halegannada , which was watched by about 250 people who give a standing ovation. Doesn’t it mean that Halegannada is still alive? When people start using the language, they’ll start liking it. We should use a language for expanding it; not insulting it.
Is television a safer bet compared to the film industry?
No! It’s not safe at all. The television industry has put up boundaries for itself. If you don’t go out of your comfort zone, what will you come up with? There are too many remakes happening right now.
There’s no original content anywhere. Don’t we have writers here? We’re not making enough experiments in television. What’s the use of a serial that gets remade in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada?
How important are film awards to you?
It’s just a boosting-element. If a film doesn’t reach the people it is made for, it’s a waste. If we make a living out of making only award-winning films, we won’t be contributing anything to the society.
You have been making films since the 70s. Are there any changes you see in the new-generation filmmakers?
Technically speaking, there are changes. Content-wise, I’m afraid, there’s none. When I watched Kirik Party , I was reminded of my film Praya Praya Praya ; and when I watched RangiTaranga , I saw Guddada Bhootha in it. The young filmmakers are re-presenting old stories in a different way. Having said that, I enjoyed Ondu Motteya Kathe . It was a beautiful film.
