Anoop Srinivas Bhat, lives in India (1987-present)
It would be quite silly to recommend just one movie from an entire industry that has been giving movies for over 80 years. But for the sake of the argument let us consider the following facts:
Given that it has to be recommended to every Indian (95% of Indians are non Kannadigas and Kannada movie industry has almost no audience outside their diaspora and borders) I am forced to consider the following broad parameters in choosing a movie
- It should probably show something unique/native to the land and its people.
- It should be culturally rich and showcase the way of life of the people in the state.
- The screenplay/direction/ cinematography should be of a very high caliber.
Now, there could be a number of movies that will fit all the 3 and most of those belong to the 'parallel cinema' genre in India, a euphemism for realistic and genuine stories and storytelling. Your regular Masala movie from the Kannada industry may not be very popular but the parallel cinema genre has many good movies over the years.
I'd like to name a few like Tabarana Kathe , Ghatashraddha, Dweepa, Nagamandala, Ondanondu Kaladalli, Kokila and so on. These movies are generally discussing grief/tragedy and taboo issues. Usually, the actors are from theatre background and are not the conventional box office hero.
But at this moment, I'd choose the movie “ Minchina Ota” (1979)
Minchina Ota is one of those rare heist movies from the time.
The storyline, narration, background score, music, direction all score very high even when compared to modern standards.
It's a story of two petty thieves ( a young man and a middle aged person) who feel that the society has wronged them and life hasn't given them a fair chance. They get on to stealing cars and when encountered with the 3rd protagonist by a matter of chance, convince him to become their accomplice and get on with the life of thievery. The protagonists are Anantanag and Shankar Nag, two real life brothers who went on to rule the Kannada movie industry in the 80s. Some scenes in the movie seem inspired by a few heist movies I've seen after that, mainly the heist scenes in the Asphalt Jungle (1950) and Rififi(1955) the gold standard in international cinema. The moment I watched those great scenes in Rififi and The Asphalt Jungle, I remembered the scenes of Minchina Ota.
The music and background score of the movie is quite different from the trend one saw in the movies of that era.
Priya Tendulkar as the girlfriend of one of the protagonists has a very good, albeit a brief role. She is a petty thief too. But when her paramour and the other two men are killed by the police in action, she promises the baby in her womb that she will not let him/her become a thief like herself. As in any movie of those days, the bad people (protagonists, here) do perish in the hands of the police but that is the only bit of commanlity you will find with other movies of the time.
Minchina Ota is a landmark movie and is of cultural and aesthetic significance. Not many movies of that era, mainly of that genre can be called as such.
