1944 (Kannada)
Director: Badrinatha
Cast: Shruthi, Suchendra Prasad, Naveen Krishna
Photographer Badrinath’s debut film, 1944 actually had a number of factors working in its favour. Adapted from N.S.Rao’s play ‘Rotti Runa’, 1944 tells the story of Dugappa, a freedom fighter from Vijayapura. We may have seen many films set in the pre-independence era but a little known story such as this, set in a tiny portion of North Karnataka could have made for an interesting watch. Further, by retaining the dialect of the region, the filmmaker charmingly creates a sense of the locale through language alone (the dialect also rarely finds a space on screen). And lastly, 1944 even has an interesting cast of actors such as Shruthi and Suchendra Prasad.
But what is the point of a good script or actor if they are not represented well on screen?
The first thing that strikes you about 1944 is its utterly poor production quality. The opening montage itself is an assemblage of footage from a variety of sources, some of which even looks like it is culled from other films. And this continues throughout the film too. Shots of the landscape and agricultural fields are filmed on a variety of low-quality formats and force-fitted together making the film look like it was put together in a hurry and possibly, with very little resources. This takes the focus and the seriousness away from a script which, on its own, is full of cinematic potential.
Son of a freedom fighter, Dugappa (Naveen Krishna) grows up nurturing the idea of a free India. As he goes about gathering people for the struggle for independence, he is arrested by Vishakanthaswamy (Suchendra Prasad), an Indian police officer working for the British empire. Eventually, Dugappa escapes from jail and ends up taking refuge in Girijavva’s (Shruthi) house without knowing that she is Vishakanthaswamy’s wife. What happens to Dugappa when Vishakanthaswamy comes home forms the rest of the story.
Shruthi carries the film on her shoulders with her strong and nuanced performance. She is closely followed by Suchendra Prasad who fits the stereotype of the evil police officer well. In fact, portions of the film featuring these two actors salvage the film partially. Even in terms of production, when the film is to be shot indoors, it seems well-shot. The minute it steps out into the fields or tries to depict a protest, it falters and fails. Many parts of the film are akin to the format of the play. In that sense, Badrinath’s screenplay does not really rise from Rao’s script. In fact, the film remains a play even on screen.
Naveen Krishna as Dugappa is melodramatic and nurtures a single strand of thought- of patriotism. The tragedy of 1944 is in its failure to be adapted on screen. A good opportunity for a film, therefore, is thoroughly wasted.
