Now playing: Stories from Karnataka

Basav Biradar discusses cinematic narratives that are rooted in the local geographical and cultural milieu of Karnataka.

A few weeks ago, at the 75th Berlinale – one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world — Kannada cinema broke new ground. For the first time, a Kannada film was screened as part of the ‘Forum’ section, which features reflections on the medium of film, socio-artistic discourse and aesthetics. 

For every Kannadiga present at the magnificent Zoo Palast theatre on February 15, it was a moment of pride. The curiously titled Vaghachipani, meaning ‘tiger’s pond’ in Marathi, is directed by Natesh Hegde. Hegde’s critically acclaimed debut feature Pedro (2021) had also been featured in international festivals. There was a sizeable Indian audience for the world premiere of this new film, including filmmakers Vikramaditya Motwane, Shaunak Sen and Anurag Kashyap. Anurag is also the presenter of Vaghachipani. 

Still from sets of 'Vaghachipani'

As with Hegde’s debut film, Vaghachipani is set in a village – of the same name — in Uttara Kannada district. It is inspired by a story by writer Amaresh Nugadoni and Hegde’s own lived experiences. The film opens with an elaborate sequence of the ritual of outlawing Mari from the village — the female deity believed to be carrying the bad omen. The opening scene introduces us to the idyllic yet rugged landscape and the residents through several close-up shots of faces, reminiscent of G Aravindan’s style. 

Vaghachipani reeks of different masculine energies – there is the powerful businessman Prabhu (Achyut Kumar) who is hoping to be re-elected as the president of the village council in the impending elections; Malabari (Dileesh Pothan), the burly migrant Malayali, is the servile side kick of Prabhu; there is Venkati (Natesh Hegde) the naive younger brother of Prabhu; and there is Basu (Gopal Hegde) who seems to be the only conscientious man in the village. Struck amidst these men and the ruthless feudal society are Pathi (Sumitra) – the mentally challenged shepherdess who is given food and shelter by Prabhu, and Devaki – Malabari’s sister who is in love with Venkati. The story complicates when news breaks that Pathi is pregnant and Venkati comes to loggerheads with Prabhu because of his relationship with Devaki.

Like Pedro, Vaghachipani’s narrative is about the feudal violence perpetrated by the powerful on the marginalised and downtrodden in the village. Pathi steals the show by the strength of her screen presence — she has no dialogues — and holds the mirror to all the misdeeds occurring in the village.

Shot on 16mm by Vikas Urs, Vaghachipani is replete with powerful images of the landscape as well as the people. Although the film setting and narrative is realistic, there is an unusual focus on the artifice of the image with specific gazes, gestures and body movements marking each of the protagonists’ performances. 

From a Kannada cinema perspective, both of Hegde’s films — which he says are part of a trilogy set in Uttara Kannada region — are important markers in reflecting the diversity of Kannada society on screen, which the mainstream has hitherto ignored. In the last decade, independent films have taken on the mantle to bring diverse stories from the Kannada world onto screen, and have made a mark across the world. 

Jaishankar Aryar’s Shivamma (2022), a tale of a resilient rural woman from north Karnataka trying to make ends meet by selling health supplements, won the prestigious New Currents award at Busan International Film Festival and the Young Jury award at France’s Festival des 3 continents. Prithvi Konanur’s searing examination of the evils of caste hierarchies and the failings of the judicial system in Hadinelentu (2022) premiered in Busan and was the opening film of the panorama section at the International Film Festival of India. Utsav Gonwar’s Photo (2023), featuring protagonists from Gonwar village in Raichur district, brought into focus the plight of the underprivileged during the Covid Pandemic and won acclaim at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes). 

Before these, Thithi (2015), Ram Reddy’s satirical story of an old man in a south Karnataka village made headlines in several international film festivals including Locarno, San Francisco and Shanghai. The success of these movies underscores the significance of cinematic narratives rooted in the local geographical and cultural milieu of Karnataka, featuring contemporary socio-political realities. 

Challenges and opportunities

I met Hegde after the premiere of Vaghachipani in Berlin and asked him how he was feeling. “I am overwhelmed. It is always overwhelming when an audience watches the film for the first time,” he said. But does it matter to him that his film is the first Kannada film to be featured in Berlinale? “Yes, of course it matters. I come from the tradition of Kannada cinema, and I am happy that one of our films is making a name here. It does not mean this is the best Kannada film, there have been many,” he added. 

For Hegde, a self-taught filmmaker from a village in Uttara Kannada district who looks up to filmmakers like Robert Bresson, Kenji Mizoguchi, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and G Aravindan, form is as important as the story. “A film should have both a narrative ambition and a formal ambition,” he says. 

The journey of independent films is an arduous one: Most of the time, the makers operate with minimal crew and complete filming schedules as and when they secure funds. For instance, Vaghachipani was five years in the making and the team had to constantly contend with the uncertainty of producers coming on board. The problem is exacerbated for first-timers as they must take their ideas, scripts and rough cuts to various film markets across the world in the quest for producers or hope that someone within the film industry is excited about their idea and is eager to produce it. 

The bigger problem though, is distribution. For instance, despite the critical success of Pedro, it has not seen a theatrical release yet. Hegde says that with Ranjan Singh (producer) being on board Vaghachipani, he is hopeful of a theatrical release this time around. Photo had a very brief theatrical run after Prakash Raj came onboard as the presenter; similarly, Shivamma also had a brief albeit delayed run in the theatres in select urban centres. Add to it the refusal of OTT platforms to feature Kannada films: “It is unfair that platforms have decided not to feature Kannada cinema. We need to address this. Only Prime Video features Kannada cinema, and that too on a pay-per-view basis, which is not viable,” says Hegde. 

The other bane for Hegde has been the reluctance of the Kannada film fraternity and Kannada media to celebrate film festival successes.

Nonetheless, Hegde is buoyed by encouraging responses from other filmmakers including that from actor, director and producer Rakshit Shetty and is eager to show Vaghachipani to the Kannada audience soon.