Prarthane

A compelling prayer goes unheard

Kannada (U)
Cast: Anant Nag, Pavitra Lokesh, Master Sachin, Master Manoj, Ashok, Prakash Rai and others
Director: K Sadashiva Shenoy

At a time when many vernacular languages are on the brink of extinction or are already lost, developments such as closing down, or merging, Kannada medium schools in remote areas reporting very thin attendance should ring alarm bells.

But the government and the ever-accommodating local society, alas, are happily catering to every ‘need’ of others, while slowly allowing indigenous language and culture to die, sometimes in the blink of an eye – unsung and unacknowledged.

It is in this context that films such as “Prarthane” gain continuing relevance. The director, a journalist who set out to make a masala entertainer once, has allowed his conscience to wield the pen and megaphone with telling effect. He avoids unnecessary emphasis on any one facet of the issue; perhaps this renders the film weak during the climax.

But even the diluted climax doesn’t matter when the State’s chief minister has to leave the screening mid-way, ‘choosing’ pressing commitments over ‘harmless entertainment with a message’.

Anant Nag, as the Kannada school headmaster, Pavitra Lokesh as his wife determined to give their son a ‘better’ future than the one offered by a crumbling Kannada medium school (by itself a powerful motif), the headmaster’s colleague (Ashok) who soon ‘shops’ for talent for his new English school, the Education Inspector (B C Patil) and officer (Srinivas Prabhu), who are typically oblivious to the hardships at the ground level, the school’s patron, the drama-mad sahukara (Prakash Rai), even the innocent villager whose dialogue delivery is no less than any seasoned performer and the children- refreshingly natural in front of the camera – all of them add to the beauty of the film, subtly underlining the cruelty of a society that has turned its back to simple pleasures of life.

Sudha Murty’s cameo disappoints as it becomes evident the director has refused to take liberties and get the Infosys Foundation chairperson to adopt the Kannada school.

‘Prarthane’ happens to be among the last of late Ramachandra Aithal’s works to be screened – splendid camerawork complementing the director’s vision, as usual.

The artwork and background score also add to the mood. Dialogues, co-written by J M Prahlad and the director himself, sometimes do stray towards turning preachy, but that’s it.

Prarthane is a bold film in times of wanton neglect of legacies built with blood and sweat. Will those concerned hear this prayer though?