Memories of The Golden Era - An Interview with S.K Bhagavan
- Harish Mattur, Bangalore

S.K Bhagwan is one of the veterans of the kannada film industry. In his career spanning for over 40 years he has worked in many departments of the film industry. 

He has been Dr Rajkumar’s close friend since he started working in films from the year 1954. Popularly known as Dorai Bhagwan (Dorai was his partner and friend), the director duo have given some of the most memorable films to the Kannada Film lovers. He has worked in films like CHANDRAVALLIYA THOTA, SANDHYA RAAGA, KASTHURI NIVAASA, YERADU KANASU, VASANTHA GEETHE, OPERATION DAIMOND ROCKET, and JEEVANA CHAITHRA.These are considered to be some of their best films. We met Sri Bhagwan at Adarsha Film Institute (He is the Principal of the Institute)

OKC: You started your career in the fifties when very few kannada films were made. Tell us about those days.

Bhagwan: Those were the golden days of kannada cinema. Although very few films were made, the quality of films were excellent. Film stories were based on Hindu mythology. Most of the actors those days were stage actors who used to perform in front of live audiences. They also knew to sing. Making movies with such artists was indeed a privilege. Only about two or three kannada films used to be released in a year. People had to wait for a long time to see a movie.So the anticipation was huge.

OKC: Dr Rajkumar has worked in most of the films you have director. tell us about him.

Bhagwan:  Dr Rajkumar is one of the best actors the world has ever seen. He is absolutely special. His dedication, commitment and the love for his profession has made him what he is today. His contribution to kannada cinema is immense. The moment a director says action

you can see a different Rajkumar. If he plays the character of Ranadheera Kantheerava,you tend to believe that Ranadheera Kanthirava is in front of you. Such is the impact when he acts. I have been very lucky to be his director in more than 30 films. Personally he is a very good human being. He is a versatile singer and a musician. He is the father figure for all the kannadigas will cherish each and every moment I have spent with him.

OKC: Dorai was the integral part of your long journey in the film industry. How was the experience of working with him?

Bhagwan:    For any director to work with another director it is important to understand each others ideas. The most important factor which made us click was coordination. The kind of subjects we chose to make a film was also very important. Dorai was also a very good writer. This is quite evident in the subjects we have chosen to make films. Due to these films the name Dorai Bhagwan will always be remembered by the kannada people.

OKC: What about the comedy kings of kannada cinema Balakrishna and Narasimharaju?They have also acted in most of your films.

Bhagwan:  We could not imagine a story without Balanna and Narasimharaju.Both were terrific. I must tell you some of the lesser known facts about these two.

Balanna was an excellent playwright. He had a passion for writing. He has even written so many plays for us. He was a brilliant performer. He started his career by doing negative roles. But he became popular after he started doing comedy roles. His dialogue delivery was extraordinary. I remember the days when we used to hang out together in madras. He was very generous by nature. I have seen him giving money to many unit members of the studio. We also toured the whole state in 1958 with our theatre group. As we were very close I could discuss anything with him.

Narasimharaju was a hilarious comedian. The moment he entered the stage or appeared in front of the screen people couldn't stop laughing. Such was his personality. His comic timing, his sense of humor was unbelievable. In most of our films he has acted in a comic role. Although he was a bit short tempered off the screen, he was a great human being. He used to be a very professional. I remember one day he was very furious because we could not send a car to pick him up at seven in the morning. He came fuming to the sets because he was late for the shoot. After a while he came to me tapped my back and started laughing. But Narasimharaju suffered a lot during his last days, he could not overcome the grief of losing his son who died in an accident. For a man who provided wholesome entertainment and made people laugh it was an tragic end. But he will be remembered as the best comedian of kannada films.

OKC: Music has played a very important role in each and every film of yours. Tell us about the process of music production those days.

Bhagvan: Music for us was the most important ingredient of our films. Dorai was a sitar player himself. He had an extensive knowledge of Hindustani ragas. So we had a very good ear for music. I used to follow the hindi music scene. I was crazy about the Mukhesh Rafi and Kishore songs. We were lucky enough to work with great music directors like G.K Venkatesh, M.Rangarao and Rajan Nagendra.later we worked with Upendra Kumar. My favorite songs from my films are NAADAMAYA from JEEVANACHAITRA, AADISI NOODU BEELISI NOODU URULI HOGADU from KASTURI NIVASA, AAKASHADINDA DHAREGILIDU BANDE from CHANDANADA GOMBE and all the songs from SANDHYA RAAGA and ERADU KANASU.

We had a very good lyricist in Chi Udayashankar.He was a brilliant man who could pen the verses in a very quick time. The lines he would give us would be exactly what we wanted. Singers like Ghantasaala, P.B.Srinivas, S.Janaki, P.Suseela, and S.P.Balasubramaniam gave life to all our songs.We were absolutely delighted when Rajkumar himself started to sing for his films. We always belived in his ability to sing. He sang some difficult songs like NAADAMAYA from JEEVANACHITRA. It was a very tough song to sing. But the greatness of Rajkumar is evident here. He sang the song with utmost ease.

OKC: You were the first directors to introduce bond films in kannada.Were you confident that this concept would work here?

Bhagvan: It was a unique experience for us. We started our career by directing mythology based movies. Then there were some films like KASTURI NIVAASA which were famous for its songs and story. We wanted to do all kind of movies. So we thought making a bond film would be a good idea. CID 999 IN GOA and CID 999 IN JACKPOT were back to back bond films we made. everyone including rajkumar and narasimharaju enjoyed this experience. Then we made Operation Diamond Racket which was the biggest hit among this genre of films

OKC: You have worked with most of the actresses all the way from fifties to the nineties. Tell us about them.

Bhagvan: We have worked with almost everybody in the sixties and seventies. Leelavathi, Jayanthi, Bharati, Arati, Kalpana. Manjula, Lakshmi, Geetha, Sudharani are some of the actresses we have worked with. Each and every one of them have played important roles in our films. Every female character in our films have had well defined roles. So they have contributed to the success of our films.

OKC: You are also an actor. you have acted in many films. isn't it?

Bhagvan: Many people do not know this but I have acted in a film as a hero. The name of the film is Mangala Soothra.I have also acted in character roles in 6 other films like Bhagyodaya Bangalore mail,Rowdy ranganna Hosabelaku Vasantha geetha Aaditya and Soothradhaara.

OKC: Most of your films you made in seventies and eighties were based on novels. don't you think film makers today can adapt stories from kadambaries to make good films?

Bhagvan: It's true that the novels and kadambaries can be made into very good films. But today you can rarely see a producer who has the guts to make a kadambari into a film. The film making process today is a costly affair. So they think it is a risk.

OKC: You are now busy making television serials. Have you completely stopped directing films?

Bhagvan: Television is a powerful medium. As you directly reach the living rooms of people they relate to it better than they do with films. So the response we get for a good tv serial is huge.I am planning a new serial right now. I would like to concentrate on this now.

OKC: You are also the principal of the adarsha film institute. you also teach film direction. how does it feel to interact with young and aspiring directors and actors?

Bhagvan: Today's youngsters are full of energy. Their confidence in themselves is also immense. But they have to be trained in various departments of film making, To excel in their profession. so we try to impart the knowledge of filmmaking to them. We call top directors and actors to interact with them. We also show them a lot of films in our screening hall. The main intention is to help them learn every aspect of film making.

OKC:  What do you feel about the present condition of the Kannada film industry? Most of the films released this year have been flops.

Bhagvan; These are the testing times for everybody. Its time for introspection. Where are we going wrong ? the most important question for which we have to find the answer. I believe the producers and directors have to make an effort to make some decent films with a good story line. Now a days the directors forget the importance of a good story. We need some good creative story writers. Let us hope the situation will improve in the coming days.

OKC: We also hope we can see some good films in the coming days. Thank you for a wonderful interview.

Bhagvan: thanks a lot.

Tunesmith with rare perception

S. SIVAKUMAR

 

Speakers who had gathered at Ragasudha Hall to pay homage to L. Krishnan, talked in an endearing vein of his simple nature and warmth that transcended age. He possessed an unusual understanding of many music systems and the original flavour in his tunes had a grandeur of its own.

 

Maestro M. Balamuralikrishna mentioned that Krishnan was not merely a great composer but could divine what tune or raga was suitable to a particular song. He felt that due recognition was not given to him during his life time.

 

T.K. Govinda Rao acknowledged that the real musical genius behind many of the features of AIR was Krishnan’s. He had this rare ability to add that extra bit of folk or classical tint to songs to meet the ever-changing requirements. Vidushi Vedavalli called him a Karma Yogi - a rare tunesmith endowed with abundant knowledge of Carnatic music and his strength was that he could compose impromptu with clarity and depth.

 

Lilting tunes

 

Mridangam vidwan Guruvayur Durai proudly recalled how he had played for Krishnan’s marriage and said that Krishnan was the disciple of GNB. Krishnan’s strength was that he could perfectly sing on stage exactly what was running in his mind without the slightest hesitation.

 

Flutist Ramani said Krishnan could complete as many as 15 to 16 songs on a single day and made special mention about Arun Prakash, who has inherited this quality from his father and set some compositions to lilting tunes. Bombay Sisters Saroja and Lalitha said that Krishnan was willing to provide effective orchestra for compositions of others. Vani Jairam became emotional while observing that T.R. Balu introduced her to Krishnan and that she was moved by his hard work. The recording sessions would be free of any tension and would easily last from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It was especially so during the Anandha Lahari project which had to adhere to strict deadlines. For Bombay Jayashri, he was a role model with his punctuality, his non-judgmental and unbiased nature and his soft manner in suggesting some fine corrections that would embellish the renderings during recordings. Koothapiran and Thenkachi Swaminathan said they had an intimate relationship with Krishnan as they worked together for many years in AIR. Krishnan had special tunes for children and was gifted with a sense of humour that made him take things in an unprovoked and casual manner. On the suggestion of Krishnan, they had initiated and put into vogue the noble practice of honouring common workers who were occupying ordinary positions from AIR, on their retirement. Unnikrishnan, a member of Krishnan’s choir observed that the master had a natural flair for sangatis which could not be easily repeated by the singers. Rajkumar Bharati, after reading a tribute received from Ramana Maharishi Centre for Learning, Bangalore, said that Krishnan sir never spoke ill of anyone, either in his professional or personal life, and even while in hospital after a surgery was more concerned about adding nuances to his work than his health.

 

The meeting concluded with the playing of excerpts from L Krishnan’s concerts and a couple of his compositions. As the music faded and as the mind thought over the words of musicians, scholars and friends one was reminded of Rabindranath Tagore’s poetic words:

 

“I am here to sing thee songs. In this hall of thine I have a corner seat. I have had my invitation to this world’s festival, and thus my life has been blessed.”

The Master from Mudiconda

On September 14, 1975, The Hindu reported the passing of Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer. The report said that he had been ailing for some time and admitted on the afternoon of September 13 to the Royapettah Hospital, where the end came at 7 p.m. The musician's musician was 78.

Born on October 15, 1887, Mudicondan as he was to be known through life, was of musical stock. His maternal grandfather, Srivanchiyam Swaminatha Iyer was known for the lilt with which he rendered padams and javalis, leading to his being referred to as ‘talukku' Swaminatha Iyer. Mudicondan's father Chakrapani Iyer was respected for raga alapanas and singing of Thevaram hymns. It was therefore no surprise that young Venkataraman too evinced plenty of musical talent. But his father was very keen that the boy acquired English education and so he settled down to conventional schooling which lasted till the final year at school.

Chakrapani Iyer passed away that year and Venkataraman, then studying in Madras, had to give up formal education and return home. He then decided to learn music in the proper fashion. This he began under Vedaranyam Swaminatha Iyer, a man who was reputed to be able to impart swara gnana even to the stone-deaf.

Venkataraman then apprenticed, as The Hindu put it, “under Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Aiyar. Later Ammachatram Kandaswami Pillai, a tavil vidwan, initiated him into the intricacies of tala and Laya while Simizhi Sundaram Aiyar taught him the bhava aspect.” The last teacher was a unique combination of the lineages of Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar and this ensured that the disciple acquired a “seemingly inexhaustible repertoire.”

The debut concert happened at Cuddalore when he was 17 and in 1919, he first sang in Madras under the auspices of the Mylapore Sangita Sabha. The city was just then waking up to the wonders of musicology and this struck a ready chord in Mudicondan. Though he preferred living in his native village and teaching students there, he did often visit Madras and became a familiar face wherever discussions on music took place. To quote The Hindu, Mudicondan was “A great debater on the nuances of music and he used to explain in a remarkable way even obscure points.” And indeed it was in that area that he was to make a greater name for himself.

Expert on lakshana

From 1935, Mudicondan became a regular at the Music Academy's annual conferences. Being an expert on lakshana and lakshya aspects, he would expound the correct way of rendering niraval, ragam, tanam and pallavi. He wrote several erudite articles on music and character sketches of musicians of the past, a brief one on famed Devadasis in particular being a treasure-trove of information. The Academy, led by Dr. V. Raghavan was keen that he played a more continuous role in its affairs and in 1948, managed to convince him to move to Madras and become the Vice-Principal of the Teachers' College of Music. It also conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi on him in 1949.

The Academy's premises then housed the old bungalow Sweet Home and this is where the classes were held. Mudicondan lived in one of the numerous outhouses of Sweet Home. His presence brought a great degree of stability to the college which had seen a high turnover of teachers and principals. Within a year of his joining, the Inspector of Schools could see the improvement and wrote in his report that “The instruction given is very effective and efficient. All the pupils under training appear to be endowed with the gift of music.”

In 1956, Mudicondan became the Principal. He taught numerous students at the college and in private and the list of those who learnt from him included his son-in-law Mudicondan Krishnamurthi, Srivanchiyam Ramachandra Iyer, Ranganayaki Iyengar, B. Krishnamurthy and R. Vedavalli. He also helped in honing the pallavi-singing skills of M.L. Vasanthakumari whose father Ayyaswami Iyer had been a fellow-student under Simizhi Sundaram Iyer.

The Hindu noted that “his lecture demonstrations at the annual conferences of the Academy were a treat for scholars, students as well as professionals.” A presentation that was to make waves in the 1950s was that of a pallavi in Simhanandana Tala (128 aksharas). He repeated the same in 1971/72 and a recording is in existence. It was also in 1971 that the Indian Fine Arts Society conferred on him the Sangita Kala Shikhamani. Earlier in 1961, he had received the President's (Sangeet Natak Akademi) award. When he retired from the Teachers' College in 1972, a grateful Academy not only gave him an ex-gratia settlement but also retained him as an Honorary Professor, a function he fulfilled by teaching raga alapanas and swaras. Though physically of a diminutive stature, musically he was a giant.

(The author can be contacted at srirambts@gmail.com)