The adage, legends are born not made, seems apt for the late Kannada film director S Siddalingaiah.
The man who has 23 films to his credit, including a Tamil film ( Puthir starring his son the late actor Murali), is known for making films such as Bangarada Manushya , Mayor Mutthanna and Bhootayana Maga Ayyu , which are considered to be landmark films in Kannada.
His is a classic story of rags to riches with a tragic end. Siddalingaiah comes from a rural background where farming was the only source of income for his family. He joined the Kannada film industry as a floor and spot boy and worked for years in Navajyothi Studios, Mysuru, till he was noticed by director B Vittalacharya, who took the young man under his wing as an assistant director.
Siddhalingiah later debuted as a director with the film Mayor Muthanna, which had the late actor Dr Rajkumar, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan and Dwarakish.
It is a known fact in the industry that Rajkumar claimed the film to be one of his favourite films and was also fond of Siddalingaiah.
Dwarkish, who produced Mayor Muthanna , is said to have given Siddalingiah ₹1 as a token advance to direct the film which draws its inspiration from Thomas Hardy’s Mayor of Casterbridge. Siddalingaiah is also credited to have given a break to talents such as Sreenivas Murthy, Doddanna and Bhavya.
He introduced his son with Premaparva , which did not do very well at the box office. Disheartened, Siddhalingaiah lost interest in life and it was a downward journey for one of the greatest thinkers and directors of the Kannada film industry. He died a sad, lonely death, forgotten by the industry.
Those close to him share interesting stories of the man and his life.
Bright spark
I knew Siddalingaiah even before he became a director. He went seeking work to Madras in 1951-52. That was when he met Vittalacharya and one day a Tamil actor was not getting his Kannada diction right and Siddalingaiah tried correcting him. Vittalacharya heard that, was impressed with his command over the language and took him on as his assistant. That is how Siddalingaiah started working for the Kannada film Veera Kesari.
By then I was 10 films old and had heard about Siddalingaiah. He was making a name as a hard worker and was known as Vittalacharya’s right hand man.
In 1963, I was working as a co director for Valmiki in Jupiter Studios, Madras. The film was being made in Kannada with Rajkumar and with NTR in Telugu. That was also a time when I was involved as a director, producer with Mantralaya Mahatme. Unable to cope, I asked to be relived from Valmiki. The makers assured to let me go only if I could replace my position with someone equally capable or better. And, I knew Siddalingaiah was the one. There was a great spark in him. The team was happy with my choice. And, next came his debut film Mayor Muthanna, which created history.
And, Bangarada Manushya ran for two years in theatres. Rajkumar and Siddalingiah worked together for many films. And they are considered as classics. He reached great heights and later when his films did not do as expected, Siddalingiah lost himself and his life. He ran down on his luck and fell from the peak. He retired from the industry and the world seems to have forgotten all about him.
Bhagawan , Director
Down to earth
Siddalingaiah was a very simple man mostly attired in a shirt and a dhoti. He was a voracious reader too. The family was poor and worked hard for a living. w he was a brilliant student, he would attend his favourite teacher’s tuition just for the food his wife would serve the students at the end of each class. It was Siddalingaiah’s father’s dream that he take up a government job. So under his father’s pressure Siddalingaiah went for an interview and was made fun of for his attire. Upset, the young man decided to prove himself . Since he was crazy about cinema, he decided he would get into the industry.
He had a knack to teach dialogue delivery, hence was advised to become a director. He had a passion for farming and most his films depicted the rural life. You could see his life and experiences come alive on screen. His characters were built on real people that he had interacted with in his life. He is not around today, people may have forgetten him, but his legacy lives on with his films...
BS Basavaraj,Cinematographer
Genuine human being
I think it is too late to write about him. He should have been celebrated when he was alive. Now I am too old (82 years) and not sure, how much I remember or can share about him. By now people should have searched for his family and honoured him with all the awards and recognitions he deserves; but alas... nothing of the sort has happened. Siddalingiah was not only a genuine human being, but a great director too. All his films were great, his stories had depth and he worked hard to launch his son (the late Tamil actor Murali). Just the titles of his films revealed the kind of man that he was. The tragedy of our profession is that legends get buried under the new flow... We should never forget the history as that is what creates a strong pillar for today.
Leelavathi,Actor
Interesting anecdotes
“It was Thimmappa, a supplier to Navajyothi Studios, in Mysuru, who first noticed Sidaalingiah. He would stand at the entrance and watch the activities inside. Thimmappa helped Siddalingaiah get a job as a floor boy at the studio. Later he was promoted as a light boy and he slowly climbed the ladder to fame and success,” says Basavaraj, who also shares it was the climax that was first shot for Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu.
“The film was shot in Talakadu in the rainy season and we would sit in a tub with the camera to shoot the entire sequence. What you see on screen in the real fury of the nature. There were no graphics then. And LV Sharada, Vishnuvardhan and the two children in the climax scene almost died during he shoot. The rope that the boat was attached to got ripped due to the force of the water. Luckily, local swimmers were able to reach them and save them in the nick of time,” shares Basavaraj, who worked with Siddaligaiah as an assistant cameraman for the film.
