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The 1964 movie about one of the flawed but fascinating characters from the Mahabharata and featuring a multi-star cast has been restored using modern digital technology and is being re-released this week.
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Very often, we tend to interchangeably use the terms ‘classic’ and a ‘masterpiece’. But, a classic need not be a masterpiece. While a masterpiece is often the greatest (and near perfect) work among an artist’s efforts, a classic - while not being the greatest - is something that is long-lasting and loved by the public. And, the fact that a classic isn’t a masterpiece doesn’t take away anything from it. Far from it, it is its ability to stand the tests of time - despite its imperfections - that make it unique and cherished.
B R Panthulu’s Karnan certainly belongs to this latter category. As a cinematic work, it is as flawed as its titular character. The pacing is uneven, the complexities of the plot are overtly simplified, the songs are one too many (but what songs they are!) and the narrative isn’t tightly structured -scenes do not segue into the next smoothly but with a randomness that can at times be unsettling. Take for example the scene in which Subhangi, wife of Karnan, returns to her husband after forcibly being taken home immediately after the wedding by her royal dad who ridicules Karnan on account of his lowly birth. She consoles her husband and breaks out into a song (the exquisite Kannukku Kulam Yedhu) and once it ends, we are told that Subhangi is pregnant, while, going by what we saw on screen, it should have been only a matter of days since their marriage!
But all such niggles recede far into the background when you immerse yourself into the spirited performances. To the modern movie-goer, Sivaji’s performance might seem over the top (he even literally roars back when mocked by his father-in-law) but it is a performance that is in perfect sync with the tone of the movie. This is a pitch-perfect larger-than-life performance that will move you in the sentimental scenes, stir you in the romantic ones, make you laugh in the comic moments and rouse you in the battle scenes.
And N T Rama Rao’s Krishna is inarguably the definitive portrayal of the Lord on screen. His scene stealing act, with sly smiles and all knowing glances, is one of the delights of the film. In this age of bad lip syncs and limp performances, these portrayals have energy that makes the movie dynamic and prove why a film cannot stand on its own without an actor.
Coming to the restoration, this too is far from perfect but is certainly a praiseworthy attempt, considering that the film had to be salvaged from badly-damaged negatives. There are shots that are jittery, unfocussed and the transition points between scenes seem faded compared to the shots before and after them; at times, you also see a distracting fluorescent patch on the screen. But, on the whole, the quality of the picture is remarkable with the bright colours accentuating the opulence of the scenes. The 5.1 DTS soundtrack, which has been recorded anew for this re-release, complements the visuals and never sounds modern, though, in the climatic scenes, the background music is a tad too overpowering, drowning out the dialogues.
At a time when we are praising international films like ‘The Artist’ and ‘Hugo’ for creating awareness in film history, it is essential that we don’t ignore such desi attempts, if only for the fact that their success is bound to make more and more people from the industry take interest in preserving our rich film heritage.
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