Director looks back on 50 years of Kasturi Nivasa

S K Bhagavan describes the making of a Rajkumar classic originally written for Shivaji Ganesan

After giving him a tight hug, Shivaji Ganesan looked at Rajkumar with teary eyes and uttered these words of regret: “Naan oru muttal” (I am a fool). The Tamil stalwart was stunned by Rajkumar’s performance in ‘Kasturi Nivasa,’ a film he had turned down. One legend’s loss was another’s gain.

‘Kasturi Nivasa,’ directed by B Dorai Raj and S K Bhagavan — iconically known as Dorai-Bhagavan — celebrated its golden jubilee last week. Renowned writer G Balasubramaniam had originally written the story for Shivaji, who had dismissed it as “too sentimental”. Today, especially for Kannadigas, it is impossible to imagine anyone other than Rajkumar in the lead role.

SK Bhagavan

Dorai-Bhagavan made the film to prove a point. “After ‘Jedara Bale’ (1968), ‘Goa Dalli CID 999’ (1968) and ‘Operation Jackpot CID 999’ (1969), there was talk in the industry that we were fit to make only James Bond-style spy thrillers. So we wanted to direct an emotional drama,” Bhagavan, now a sprightly 87, told Showtime.

Rajkumar, who was in two minds about taking up a role refused by Shivaji, is achingly real in his portrayal of a proud, generous businessman. The story gives little room for romance, song and dance, and punchy dialogue. Yet, Rajkumar keeps you glued. If his smile conveys the character’s child-like nature, his dropped shoulders signify his suffering. Through his controlled dialogue delivery, he makes you root for a man who, despite extreme adversity, is too stubborn to let go of his self esteem.

“Show me one actor in the world who is as versatile as Rajkumar?” says Bhagavan. “He moved us to tears in the pre-climax scene when Jayanthi comes asking for the pigeon. Of course, we were blessed with a fantastic cast: K S Ashwath, Balakrishna, Narasimharaju, Jayanthi and Rajashankar,” he says.

One can’t discuss the film without mentioning its melodious numbers composed by GK Venkatesh. Chi Udayshankar’s lyrics are simple and memorable. Songs like ‘Elle iru hege Iru’ or ‘Aadisi nodu beelisi nodu’ show everyday words acquiring poetic beauty.

“Writing was in his genes,” notes Bhagavan. “I had worked with his father Sadashivaiah, a fine lyricist who was a bit short tempered. Uday was always open to feedback. He was so good that he could write a song in five minutes. On a bad day, he would take 30 minutes to finish a song,” the director says.

'Kasturi Nivasa' immortalised the pigeon and the rocking doll. “When we heard the story from GBS (Balasubramaniam), Rajkumar’s brother SP Varadaraj asked us to use a white pigeon. As for the doll, while describing the hero’s character’s, GBS said ‘he is like a Thanjavur ‘bommai’ (doll). If you push it, the doll goes back but doesn’t fall. We felt it was symbolic and used it,” Bhagavan explains.

The tragic streak in the film is hard to stomach. “We received a tepid response on the first two days at Sagar theatre. We were convinced people didn’t like the tragic ending. But on Sunday, all shows were full. From there, it was unstoppable, going on to complete 100 days,” he recalls.

So after 50 years, what makes ‘Kasturi Nivasa’ special? “The film is a reflection of the kind-hearted nature of Kannadigas. We embrace everyone. People still feel an instant connection with the film,” he says.

Legacy

Shivaji Ganesan starred in its Tamil remake called ‘Avandhan Manidhan’ (1975). The Hindi remake, called ‘Shaandar’ (1974) had Sanjeev Kumar in the lead.

The colourised version of the film was released in theatres in 2014 and it ran for 50 days.