RACE COURSE ROAD: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan presents a film festival of Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli's films from July 25 to 29.
The film festival will be inaugurated by Minister for Kannada and Culture Umashri at 10.30 am on Saturday.
Chief guests at the event will include former MLC and chairman of Kannada Development Authority L Hanumanthaiah, cinema journalist Vijaya, artiste Malavika Avinash and senior journalist Gangadhar Modaliar.
The inauguration will be followed by the screening of Gulabi Talkies at 11.30 am, Naayi Neralu at 3 pm, and Kraurya at 6 pm. An introduction will be given to each film before its screening and a discussion will be held after.
Gulabi Talkies is a 2008 film that is based on a short story by the same name written by Vaidehi. The film is set in the late 1990s among the fishing communities around Kundapura.
Naayi Neralu is based on a novel written by S L Bhyrappa, and stars Pavitra Lokesh in the lead role. It revolves around the three members of a family who are dealing with a very bizarre situation. The inner theme of the film is a culmination of many aspects of life: human relationships, man and the society and so on.
Kraurya, released in 1996, is based on a story written by T N Seetharam. It is about an old woman who has to deal with complex relationships with people of different generations whom she is put up with. The film features Renukamma Murgod in the lead role as Rangajji, with supporting roles played by Vishwas, H G Dattatreya and T V Gurumurthy.
At 10.30 am, a master class will be held with Kasaravalli and National Award Winning Director B Suresha. Thayi Saheba will be screened at 1.30 pm and Ghatashraddha at 6 pm.
Thayi Saheba, released in 1997, is based on the story of a Brahmin family during the pre-Independence and post-Independence periods of India.
Ghatashraddha, Kasaravalli's first feature film made in 1977, stars Meena Kuttappa, Naraya Bhat and Ajith Kumar in lead roles. It is based on a novella by U R Ananthamurthy. A young Brahmin Vedic school student, who is from an aristocratic family, befriends his school master's daughter who is a pregnant widow. The boy tries but fails in concealing his friend's pregnancy. The widow has an abortion forced on her, has the eponymous ritual performed on her and is excommunicated.
At 3.30 pm on Monday, Tabarana Kathe will be screened. The 1987-film is based on a short story of the same name by Poornachandra Tejaswi. It is the story of Tabara Shetty, a government servant in the rank of a watchman. Problems emerge after his retirement and matters worsen after his wife falls sick.
Dweepa, based on a novel by Na D'Souza, stars Soundarya and Avinash in lead roles. It deals with the raging issue of building dams and the displacement of natives. It will be screened at 6 pm.
On Tuesday, Kanasembo Kudureyaneri will be screened at 3.30 pm. It is based on an anthology of short stories written by Amaresh Nudgoni, and stars Vaijanath Biradar, Umashree and Sadashiv Brahmavar in lead roles. The first half of the film may have you raise your brows at Irya's and Rudri's dreams and faith, the second will set out to suggest that what may look superstitious to one may be a way of life to the other.
Haseena (2004), based on the story Kari Nagaragalu by Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq, talks about Hasina who marries auto driver Yakub against his mother's wish.
The couple have three daughters: the visually-impaired Munni, Shubby and Habeeb. When Yakub finds out that the fourth child will be another girl, he becomes abusive and neglectful, eventually leaving Hasina.
On Wednesday, the last day of the festival, Koormavatara will be screened at 3.30 pm. The 2011 film is based on a novel written by Kum Veerabhadrappa. Rao, who is at the edge of retirement from government service, happens to play the role of Mahatma Gandhi in a television serial. Unknowingly, the qualities of Gandhiji gets internalised in him. How he resurrects himself forms the crux of the film.
The valedictory function will be held at 5.45 pm, with Kasaravalli and writer and actor G K Govinda Rao as the chief guests. Later, Kasaravalli's most recent film, Images/Reflections, a journey into Adoor Gopalakrishnan's life and works, will be screened.