Puttanna Kanagal
Encyclopedia
Puttanna Kanagal (1933–1985) was one of the most prominent Kannada film director
s of the 1960s and the 70s. Although the majority of his films were on offbeat or taboo subjects, he endeared himself to both the critics and ordinary film goers alike. He also directed a handful Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies.
, Sharapanjara
, Naagarahaavu
etc. His first directorial venture in Malayalam was the movie Poocha kanni (Cat eyed/Hazel eyed lady) based on the Kannada novel by Triveni Bekkina Kannu. In Kannada his last film was Savira Mettilu, which was never released during his life-time.
He also provided a platform for many actors and actresses such as Kalpana
, Aarathi, Leelavathi
, Jayanthi
, Padma vasanthi, Srinath
, Rajinikanth, Vishnuvardhan, Ambarish, Jai Jagadish
, Chandra Shekhar, Gangadhar
, Shivaram, Vajramuni
, Sridhar
, Ramakrishna
, Aparna - TV and Radio Anchor to showcase their talents.
In devotion to Puttanna, Indian Super Star Dr.Vishnuvardhan said, "Puttanna Kanagal Sir was the God-sent teacher for me! I have been made as an actor. I am indebted to guru Puttanaji. He used to conceptualize scenes, narrate them to me, inspire me and extract the potential till then unknown to myself. Acting in just one movie under Puttanna’s expertise is an experience of a lifetime."
Puttanna introduced most of the actors in the Kannada cinema world. Well known Tamil director Bharathiraja
was the assistant for him.
Although married to Nagalakshmi Kanagal and sired children, he shared a very passionate relationship with actress Kalpana - that raised several eyebrows. Kalpana and Puttanna were two very great artists of the times. Together they bridged the fields of Cinema and Literature - considering the fact that notably complex subjects of Triveni, were not only brought in their completeness into Cinema world but were well acknowledged (in fact have remained immensely popular) by the audience. Sadly after the majestic Sharapanjara
the pair never worked together.Though he touched social subjects of social taboo and mysteries with rigorous attention and meticulous research, he never tried to put down his own limitations and tried living with his sorrows as he lived with his glories.
No other director in Kannada has had a success rate to match Puttanna. Each of his 24 Kannada movies have strong themes, great plots and filled with unprecedented direction. He is a true legend of Kannada cinema.
Kanagal died on 5 June 1985 in Bangalore
, while in preparation of the movie Masanada Hoovu
.
Puttanna was also considered as a pioneer in picturising songs. In general, his movies contained 4-5 songs. Even with respect to song picturisation, Puttanna had a strong sense of colour and imagery. He would go to great lengths to select the locations and costumes for the song. The songs generally reflected the inherent mood of the film. For instance, the song from the movie Manasasarovara, Nee ne saakida gini, a poignant song, was shot amidst the dust-filled mining areas, thereby reflecting the agony of a man who has lost his true love. Similarly the song Uttara druvadim from the movie Sharapanjara was shot in the Madikeri, with innumerable oranges strewn around.
He was well known for his effective use of freeze shots and negative images to heighten the introspective effect of key scenes. Although his films were accused of being too woman-centric, Puttanna personally felt that such notions were wrong.
South filmfare awards
Karnataka state film awards
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
s of the 1960s and the 70s. Although the majority of his films were on offbeat or taboo subjects, he endeared himself to both the critics and ordinary film goers alike. He also directed a handful Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies.
Early days
Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma or S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, as he was popularly known, was born in Kanagal village in Mysore district. As he hailed from a poor family, he had to endure hardships and struggled to get a decent job. He worked as a cleaner, salesman and even a teacher to earn his bread. However, his job as a publicity boy brought him closer to theatre and subsequently to cinema. His association with films began when he started working for B.R. Pantulu as an assistant director and his driver.As a director
Often credited as a movie-maker, much ahead of his times, Puttanna's first break directorial venture was Bellimoda (Silver Clouds). Starring Kalpana and Kalyan Kumar, this movie was a critical and commercial success. Legend has it that Puttanna scouted for a week to find the perfect location for the mellifluous song "mooDala maneyaa". He has directed many masterpieces like Gejje PoojeGejje Pooje
Gejje Pooje is a 1969 Kannada movie by Puttanna Kanagal starring Kalpana, Gangadhar and Leelavathi. Gejje means anklet and pooje means worship but in this context it means a mock marriage.- Plot :...
, Sharapanjara
Sharapanjara
Sharapanjara is a 1971 Kannada movie by Puttanna Kanagal starring Kalpana and Gangadhar.The film was later remade into the Telugu hit film Krishnaveni starring Vanisri.- Plot details :...
, Naagarahaavu
Naagarahaavu
Nagarahaavu is a 1972 Kannada film by Puttanna Kanagal starring Vishnuvardhan, Aarathi, K. S. Ashwath.It was the first movie in Kannada Film history to Complete 100 days in 3 Main theaters of Bangalore....
etc. His first directorial venture in Malayalam was the movie Poocha kanni (Cat eyed/Hazel eyed lady) based on the Kannada novel by Triveni Bekkina Kannu. In Kannada his last film was Savira Mettilu, which was never released during his life-time.
He also provided a platform for many actors and actresses such as Kalpana
Kalpana (Kannada actress)
Kalpana was a very popular Kannada cinema actress. Her epithet was Minugu taare . A versatile actress, she dominated the Kannada film industry during the late 1960s and 1970s and was critically acclaimed for her roles in movies like Sharapanjara, Gejje Pooje, Belli moda, Eradu Kanasu, Kappu Bilupu,...
, Aarathi, Leelavathi
Leelavathi (actress)
Leelavathi is a Kannada film actress who predominantly worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu. She has acted with legends such as Rajkumar, M. G. Ramachandran, N. T. Rama Rao, Sivaji Ganeshan, Shankar Nag, Kamal Hassan, Vishnuvardhan, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi and various popular artists in her films...
, Jayanthi
Jayanthi (actress)
Jayanthi is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 500 films, including films in the Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Marathi languages. In Kannada movies, she was honored with the title Abhinaya Sharade....
, Padma vasanthi, Srinath
Srinath
For the cricket player see Javagal Srinath. And for Malayali actor see SreenathSrinath , real name Narayana Swamy , is a Kannada cinema actor and the vice-president of Kannada TV Channel Udaya TV....
, Rajinikanth, Vishnuvardhan, Ambarish, Jai Jagadish
Jai Jagadish (Kannada actor)
Jai Jagadish is an Indian actor, director and producer in the Kannada film industry. He has been part of over 300 films. He debut film as director in Kannada is Madana.-Actor:-Producer:-Director:-External links:...
, Chandra Shekhar, Gangadhar
Gangadhar (Kannada actor)
Gangadhar was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. He had acted in over 80 films such as Sharapanjara and many others.-Career:Gangadhar studied Diploma in Mechanical and HAL. In HAL, he staged plays like Samsare Nauke, HM Nayaka and Vijayotsava. He met G.V.Iyer and was selected for...
, Shivaram, Vajramuni
Vajramuni
Vajramuni was an actor in the Kannada film industry who acted in more than 300 movies. He died at the age of 62.. He had been suffering from protracted kidney-related illness and was on dialysis for a couple of years...
, Sridhar
Sridhar (Kannada actor)
Sridhar is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry, and also a dance scholar, performer and choreographer, trained in Bharatanatyam. He also holds a degree in Engineering...
, Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna (Kannada actor)
Ramakrishna is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry, known for the drama roles. He has acted in movies such as Maanasa Sarovara and many others. He has acted in more than 100 Kannada films. A protege of the renowned Kannada film director Puttanna Kanagal, Ramakrishna featured in some of...
, Aparna - TV and Radio Anchor to showcase their talents.
In devotion to Puttanna, Indian Super Star Dr.Vishnuvardhan said, "Puttanna Kanagal Sir was the God-sent teacher for me! I have been made as an actor. I am indebted to guru Puttanaji. He used to conceptualize scenes, narrate them to me, inspire me and extract the potential till then unknown to myself. Acting in just one movie under Puttanna’s expertise is an experience of a lifetime."
Puttanna introduced most of the actors in the Kannada cinema world. Well known Tamil director Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja
P. Bharathiraja , is a critically acclaimed South Indian filmmaker.He displayed a story-teller's potential from an early age. Bharathiraja is known for his realistic and sensitive portrayal of village-life in his movies....
was the assistant for him.
Personal life
Being one (and arguably greatest) of the most passionate directors of the era his creativity never knew bounds. He never had problems in carving his niche linguistically nor working with any of the south Indian Cinema artist. However his personal life had apparent shades of mysticism and sorrow.Although married to Nagalakshmi Kanagal and sired children, he shared a very passionate relationship with actress Kalpana - that raised several eyebrows. Kalpana and Puttanna were two very great artists of the times. Together they bridged the fields of Cinema and Literature - considering the fact that notably complex subjects of Triveni, were not only brought in their completeness into Cinema world but were well acknowledged (in fact have remained immensely popular) by the audience. Sadly after the majestic Sharapanjara
Sharapanjara
Sharapanjara is a 1971 Kannada movie by Puttanna Kanagal starring Kalpana and Gangadhar.The film was later remade into the Telugu hit film Krishnaveni starring Vanisri.- Plot details :...
the pair never worked together.Though he touched social subjects of social taboo and mysteries with rigorous attention and meticulous research, he never tried to put down his own limitations and tried living with his sorrows as he lived with his glories.
No other director in Kannada has had a success rate to match Puttanna. Each of his 24 Kannada movies have strong themes, great plots and filled with unprecedented direction. He is a true legend of Kannada cinema.
Kanagal died on 5 June 1985 in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, while in preparation of the movie Masanada Hoovu
Masanada Hoovu
Masanada Hoove is a 1984 Kannada movie by Puttanna Kanagal starring Jayanti, Ambarish and Aparna. Masanada Hoove is the last movie by Puttanna Kanagal and he died before completing it. His friend and director KSL Swamy completed the film....
.
The Visualiser
The Kannada film industry in the 1960s and the 1970s started moving from mythological and historical subjects to socially relevant themes. This metamorphosis was reflected in the rise of bandaya sahitya or rebellious literature. The New Wave Cinema or Alternate Cinema movement spread across India, particularly in Karnataka, West Bengal and Kerala. Puttanna's movies, however, were seen as a bridge between commercial cinema and alternate cinema. While his stories, being based on popular Kannada novels, revolved around strong characters and distinct themes, he added mandatory songs and emotions to distinguish from alternate cinemas. His mastery over symbolism is quite remarkable. He has effectively used symbolism effectively in almost all of his movies.Puttanna was also considered as a pioneer in picturising songs. In general, his movies contained 4-5 songs. Even with respect to song picturisation, Puttanna had a strong sense of colour and imagery. He would go to great lengths to select the locations and costumes for the song. The songs generally reflected the inherent mood of the film. For instance, the song from the movie Manasasarovara, Nee ne saakida gini, a poignant song, was shot amidst the dust-filled mining areas, thereby reflecting the agony of a man who has lost his true love. Similarly the song Uttara druvadim from the movie Sharapanjara was shot in the Madikeri, with innumerable oranges strewn around.
He was well known for his effective use of freeze shots and negative images to heighten the introspective effect of key scenes. Although his films were accused of being too woman-centric, Puttanna personally felt that such notions were wrong.
South filmfare awards
- 1973 Best directorBest DirectorBest Director s the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:- Film Award :* Academy Award for Best Director* Best Director Award...
Edakallu guddada mele - 1979 Best directorBest DirectorBest Director s the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:- Film Award :* Academy Award for Best Director* Best Director Award...
Dharma sere - 1981 Best directorBest DirectorBest Director s the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:- Film Award :* Academy Award for Best Director* Best Director Award...
Ranganayaki
Karnataka state film awards
- 1967-68 Best film second Bellimoda
- 1969-70 Best film firstBest Film FirstThe following is the list of Award winners for the Karnataka State Best Film First award.-References:...
Gejje pooje - 1970-71 Best film firstBest Film FirstThe following is the list of Award winners for the Karnataka State Best Film First award.-References:...
Sharapanjara - 1972-73 Best film second Nagarahavu
- 1975-76 Best film fourth Katha sangama