| Puttanna Kanagal | |
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© Kamat's Potpourri |
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| Born | December 1, 1933 Kanagal, Mysore district Karnataka |
| Died | June 5, 1985 (aged 51) Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation | Director, Writer |
| Spouse | Lakshmi Puttana Kanagal |
Puttanna Kanagal (Kannada: ಪುಟ್ಟಣ್ಣ ಕಣಗಾಲ್) (1933–1985) was one of the most prominent Kannada film directors 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.
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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.
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 Pooje, 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 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.
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 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.
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
Karnataka state film awards
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