The cinematic climate in Bangalore was as salubrious in the seventies right till the early eighties as the general weather. It was the golden period in Kannada cinema when audiences watched potboilers as avidly as path breaking efforts. Trapeze artistes like Puttanna and Siddalingiah also thrived. Karnad, Karanth and GV Iyer were revered names nationally. Their films were released commercially and enjoyed the success a niche film deserves. I remember watching ‘Hamsageethe’ in Alankar theatre where the balcony was packed. Only the ‘Gandhi class’ was deserted. Those were the days when there was a definite delineation between the audiences. None of the filmmakers complained about ‘outside’ films eating into their business. Rajkumar was definitely the numero uno but films starring ANR, NTR and MGR did well too. Which other city can boast of this attitude? Raj was revered as much for his talent as his simplicity by colleagues from other states.
It was around this time that Balu Mahendra, an emerging cinematographer who entered cinema after watching the making of ‘Bridge On The River Kwai’ in Ceylon decided to make his directorial debut. His favourite city was Bangalore and decided that the cineastes tastes here suited his sensibilities. He knew he wanted the Tamil actor who was creating waves, Kamal Haasan to play the protagonist. It was a tale of love and lust told sensitively. The dialogues were minimal and the black and white cinematography, lustrous. ‘Kokila’, without subtitles had a one hundred day run in Madras. “It’s a performance worthy of an international award,” said Mrinal Sen about Kamal. Now Kamal loved visiting Bangalore too, in awe of the parallel movement and also to interact with the makers. GV Iyer once told me he enjoyed talking to Kamal about cinema. “I could not have acted like that in a Tamil film. They called it the Malayalam style of acting,” said Kamal. ‘Kokila’ was also one of the first films where Kamal trod off the beaten path. He worshipped Sivaji Ganesan but was a refined version. He would later evolve into a heady amalgam of Sivaji, Nagesh, Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. He didn’t do Kannada films regularly but his fan base was multiplying rapidly. The relationship between actors of various states was one of respect and more cordial than it is among today’s Kannada stars who can’t stand one another.
One of Kamal’s early admirers was Rajkumar. ‘Look at the ease with which that boy emotes,” the great man had said. When Shivarajkumar decided to don greasepaint Raj told him to visit Kamal’s sets regularly and watch him perform. Shivanna, today is a diehard fan. It was a mutual admiration society. Kamal loved meeting Raj and on request would show the ‘first copy’ of his films to the first family. I watched ‘Thevar Magan’ during one such show where Kamal and PC Sreeram refused to sit during the duration of the film. A misty eyed Raj embraced Kamal after the show.
Kamal is the only actor who’s had super-hits in all the four Southern States. His trysts with Bangalore continued. Shankar Nag told me a couple of years before his premature demise that he was discussing a film with Kamal. Shankar did the role that Kamal was to play in Karnad’s ‘Utsav’. Naseeruddin Shah replaced Kamal in Girish Kasarvalli’s ‘Mane’ because he was unavailable. The unique quality about him was that a Manmohan Desai wanted to work with him as much as a Mrinal Sen. The last time Kamal was in town Ravichandran wanted to offer him a role that he’s now playing himself.
Kamal’s last foray in Kannada was the immensely successful ‘Rama Shama Bhama’ directed by Ramesh his fan turned friend. Kamal has handed over the reins again to him in ‘Utthama Villain’. It’s about a superstar who’s over the hill. With Kamal’s in-depth knowledge of the industry the premise holds promise. Kamal plays his age with grown up children. Is this the first step in a transitional phase of his illustrious career? Ramesh is convinced the film will appeal to everyone. Karnataka has always welcomed Kamal’s efforts with enthusiasm. His films evoke extreme responses because audiences look forward to something out of the mundane. Let’s see if this one turns out to be ‘Utthama’ or a box-office ‘Villain’!
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