A mirror to social realities

regional cinema

Yes, he may not have the stature of a Girish Kasarvalli. Nor the iconic status others of his ilk bask in.

However, like his prodigious peer, as one of acclaimed and award-winning Kannada directors, P R Ramadasa Naidu, has held his own with his own brand of aesthetic cinema. These, have not only won him accolades and recognition at Indian and international movie marquee, but also brought laurels to the State as well, while winning him encomiums.  Like his illustrious predecessor Kasarvalli, Ramadas Naidu’s films, which hold a brilliant beacon to various dilemmas that people face, have been regularly featured at the Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

If in 2001 it was his heart-warming take on old age — Mussanje (Dusk/Twilight), in 2005 it was Pravaaha (Flood) focusing on death of traditional Indian rural crafts and in 2007, Moggina Jade, spotlighting on growing urbanisation and its deleterious impact on the girl child. This time, in the Indian Panorma section, at IFFI 2009, is his latest film Beli Matthu Hola (The Fence & the Crop).

A quintessential Naidu film, in keeping with his conscientiousness of portraying the “hard reality of our times that leave a deep impact on our conscience,” Beli Matthu Hola focuses on the futility of the system of governance prevailing in villages. According to Naidu, the immediate inspiration for making the film was drawn from the state of affairs prevalent in southern India. “Having seen how the common man is trampled under the giant feet of the prevailing system, the problems at the micro-level are tackled in the film,” he adds.

The film concerns the common man who is unable to reap the desired results due to the atrocities of the law enforcing authorities. It spotlights on a village pawnbroker-cum-money lender who loses his wealth as well as the pawned gold of the villagers. How upon his untimely death, his son has to shoulder the burden of his father’s affairs, and how he too becomes a victim of  society’s callous attitude, forms the fulcrum of this forceful film.

Naidu says while it appears that everyone is doing his duty, and law is taking its own course, in reality though, the ordinary people’s aspirations and expectations are never met. This leads to their disillusionment with the society and the powers that be, he notes.

“I was badly disturbed and it was hard to digest the ground realities of the so called system of governance. They haunted me day in and day out forcing me to take up the issue” through this film.  Based on a story by K Veedrabhadrappa, with cinematography by acclaimed cameraman S Ramachandra, the 105 minutes film has been scripted with dialogues by director Naidu himself.  Here’s saluting a true champion of social cinema.