Shakespeare, who has greatly influenced both Kannada literature and theatre, has always found resonance on the silver screen as well. There have been numerous film adaptations of three of his popular works — The Taming of the Shrew , TheComedy of Errors and Romeo and Juliet .
TheTaming of the Shrew has influenced many film-makers, with the plot coming in handy for the largely patriarchal Kannada film industry. The story, as the title suggests, revolves around a proud woman being subdued. According to film historians, Abba Aa Hudugi (1959) by H.L.N. Simha, Veera Kesari (1963) by B. Vithalacharya and Bahaddur Gandu (1976) by A.V. Sheshagiri Rao are loosely based on the play.
Bahaddur Gandu is close to the original, where an upright soldier Panju kidnaps the “egoistic” princess Jayanthi and “tames” her. Nanjundi Kalyana (1989), starring Raghavendra Rajkumar and Malashree, and directed by M.S. Rajashekar, too is a direct adaptation of the play. It was the debut film of Malashree. The film’s box office success made her one of the top actors in Kannada.
One of the earliest adaptations of Romeo and Juliet was Mahananda (1947) by Janaki Ram, said film historian Sridharamurthy. It starred Kemparaj Urs, Sumathi Kashinath and Prathima Devi. “This mythological film unites the lovers in heaven as audiences were averse to tragedy at that time,” he said.
Eradu Kanasu (1974) by Dorai and S.K. Bhagavan, based on the novel of the same name by Vani, too is inspired by the play. It stars Rajkumar (as a college lecturer), Kalpana and Manjula.
Similarly, Comedy of Errors has inspired many films, including Jaya Vijaya, Bhale Jodi, Rani Maharani and others. Ulta Palta (1997), directed by N.S. Shankar, was the closest to the original.
