Director Bhagavan bids final adieu, but his magic lives on

Veteran Director S K Bhagavan passed away at 89 due to age-related issues in the city on Monday.

He teamed up with B Dorai Raj to give some of the most memorable family dramas in Kannada cinema. The duo made a mark in an era that also witnessed the magic of Puttanna Kanagal and S Siddalingaiah.

Some of the biggest hits in the illustrious career of thespian Dr Rajkumar came under the direction of Dorai-Bhagavan. With films such as 'Jedara Bale' (1968), 'Kasturi Nivasa' (1971), 'Eradu Kanasu' (1974) and 'Hosa Belaku' (1982), the duo enhanced the matinee idol status of Rajkumar.

Dorai, a cinematographer, was technically a solid filmmaker, points out film historian K Puttaswamy. "Dorai was a master at shot composition and structuring screenplays. Bhagavan was hooked to literature," he told DH.

Bhagavan's love for books is apparent as many films with his partner were adapted from well-known literary works of T R Subba Rao's (TaRaSu) 'Chandanada Gombe' (1979), 'Gaali Maathu' (1981) and 'Benkiya Bale' (1983). 'Eradu Kanasu' and 'Hosa Belaku' were adapted from writer Vani's novels by the same name.

Bharathi Sutha's novels such as 'Bayalu Dari' (1976) and 'Giri Kanye' (1977) were successfully translated on screen by the duo.

Bhagavan, hailing from Mysuru, had a stint in theatre before entering the films. He co-directed 'Sandhya Raga' (1966) and 'Rajadurgada Rahasya' with A C Narasimha Murthy. Bhagavan, with a keen ear for music, extracted the best from gifted composers like G K Venkatesh and the Rajan-Nagendra duo for his films.

Rajkumar's growing stardom meant that it was hard to get his call sheet, even for established filmmakers like Dorai and Bhagavan. Hence, the duo started another successful association with Anant Nag and Lakshmi.

"I learnt from Bhagavan that he had pitched the script of 'Bayalu Dari' (1976) to Rajkumar. But, it was Rajkumar and his wife, Parvathamma, who felt they should explore the story with a newcomer and that's how I got the opportunity," Anant Nag told DH.

'Bayalu Daari' was a hit and so was 'Chandanada Gombe', another film of Anant Nag with Dorai-Bhagavan. Anant Nag saw Bhagavan as his guru.

N S Sridhar Murthy, a film historian, told DH, "Bhagavan watched several Hollywood blockbusters and believed in giving Rajkumar the James Bond avatar. His vision came true with runaway hits such as 'Jedara Bale' and 'Operation Diamond Racket' (1978)."