History of Karnataka legislature caught on film

Film-maker Girish Kasaravalli and his team at work on their film on the Vidhana Soudha.

Want to catch a glimpse of visual explorations of the six-decade-old seat of power in the State — the Vidhana Soudha — and the 136-year-old history of Karnataka legislature? Be present at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on October 26.

Film-makers Girish Kasaravalli and T.N. Seetharam, asked by the State government to document the history of Vidhana Soudha and the two Houses of legislature, are ready with curtain-raisers for both. They will be screened at a function to mark the diamond jubilee of the rhapsody in stone.

The internationally renowned Mr. Kasaravalli has created a niche for himself through documentaries such as

Images/Reflections, a documentary on film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and

U.R. Ananthamurthy, Not a Biography, But a Hypothesis. He is giving the final touches to his two-episode curtain-raiser on the Vidhana Soudha. He is being assisted by a team of visual experts headed by cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar. “With the team, which helped me in the research and in understanding of architecture and socio-political issues connected to that, I have almost finished two episodes on the physical structure of Vidhana Soudha,” he told

The Hindu .

According to him, the two episodes focus on the sprouting of the idea to build the Vidhana Soudha and the challenges in making that structure distinctive from other architectural wonders in Bengaluru and Mysuru. “They will also dwell on the dream of Kengal Hanumanthaiya to offer a unique identity, besides the pain and penuries he encountered including the allegations and inquiries after construction,” Mr. Kasaravalli said.

The following episodes will reveal the Vidhana Soudha story piece by piece. “The idea is to narrate the story of every part of this beautiful building and offer a comprehensive historical, architectural, social and political vision of the [structure]. It took in-depth research and reading for the team to zero in on the central theme and format,” he said.

Seven-part series

Similar were the challenges faced by Mr. Seetharam, who is screening the introductory part of his seven-part documentary on the history of both Houses.

The story of the legislature goes back to the days of Dewan C. Rangcharlu of the princely State of Mysore (1881-1950). People’s Representative Assembly was one of the important reforms of those days. An order for the constitution of the Assembly was issued by Maharaja Chamarajendera Wadiyar on August 25, 1881. This is being regarded as the magna carta of the people of Mysore.

Mysore was the first region in the country to have a Constituent Assembly. “I don’t want to disclose the format of the pilot episode, as surprising the audience is my intention. However, it offers a glimpse of the 136 years of Constituent Assembly, with visuals and music composed by Hamsalekha,” Mr. Seetharam said.

In the other six episodes, all 30 minutes long, Mr. Seetharam visualises history and recreates landmark incidents through characters.

However, the film-makers are facing challenges because of the lack of visual records. They have met and interviewed many political figures who were witness to major events in the past decades, and both say they are trying their best to make the historic documentaries as authentic as possible without compromising on the artistic and aesthetic quality of the films.

Mr. Seetharam is, in fact, seeking the help of experts in using vintage vehicles and yesteryear costumes to provide his film a period touch.