Jump to content

Karnan (1964 film)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by GA bot (talk | contribs) at 00:45, 14 February 2013 (Adding Good Article icon). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Karnan
File:Karnan poster.jpg
Promotional Poster
Directed byB. R. Panthulu
Written bySakthi Krishnasamy
Produced byB. R. Panthulu
StarringSivaji Ganesan
N. T. Rama Rao
Savitri
Devika
M. V. Rajamma
S. A. Ashokan
R. Muthuraman
CinematographyV. Ramamurthy
Edited byR. Devarajan
Music by
Production
company
Padmini Pictures[1]
Release dates
14 January 1964
16 March 2012 (re-release)
Running time
180 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹40 lakh (US$48,000)[2]

Karnan is a 1964 Indian Tamil mythological epic film written by Sakthi Krishnasamy and directed by B. R. Panthulu. It stars Sivaji Ganesan in the lead role, while N. T. Rama Rao, S. A. Ashokan, R. Muthuraman, Devika, Savitri and M. V. Rajamma play supporting roles. The film's original soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy. Karnan was a high-budget production of its time and was the first Tamil film to be shot in Kurukshetra and the palaces of Jaipur. It was considered a milestone in Tamil cinema as it brought together the then leading actors of South Indian cinema, Sivaji Ganesan and N.T. Rama Rao.[3][4]

Karnan is based on the story of Karna, a character from the Indian Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is born to an unmarried mother Kunti who sets him afloat in the Ganga river to avoid embarrassment. The child is discovered and adopted by a charioteer. Karnan does not want to follow his foster father's profession, and instead, becomes a warrior. He then befriends Duryodhana, the Kaurav prince, eventually setting the initial grounds of the Kurukshetra war, where he will join Duryodhana to fight against his own step brothers, the Pandavas.

Karnan was dubbed in Telugu as Karna, and also in Hindi as Dhaan Veer Karna.[5] Karnan was released on 14 January 1964, coinciding with Pongal day, to critical acclaim and commercial success. The film also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil - Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film in 1964.[6] A digitized version of Karnan released in March 2012, was also very well received and eventually established a trend of "re-releasing" films in Tamil cinema.

Plot

Unmarried princess Kunti is blessed by the Sun god with a baby boy, which she abandons in the Ganga river to avoid embarrassment. The boy is rescued and adopted by charioteer Athirathan, who names him Karnan. Years later, the now-grown up Karnan realizes that Athirathan is only his foster father and feels heartbroken. He does not want to become a charioteer like his foster father, and chooses to become a warrior. He masters archery and challenges the Pandava prince Arjuna in a contest. Karnan is insulted on account of his lowly birth, but the Kaurava prince and cousin of the Pandavas, Duryodhana, saves his pride, and gives him the kingdom of Anga. Karnan thus becomes the close friend of Duryodhana and his wife Bhanumati.

One day, Indra, the king of Deva (Hinduism)Devas (celestial deities), disguised as a Brahmin, approaches Karnan and asks for his armour and ear rings in donation to weaken and stop him from overpowering Arjuna. Aware of Indra's intention, Karnan donates both the items he was born with and which would make him invincible. Pleased with Karnan's generosity, Indra gifts him a powerful weapon, Nagastra, but states that he can use it only once. Karnan, disguised as a Brahmin, becomes the student of the sage Parasurama to acquire the Brahmastra. When Parasurama realizes that Karnan is a Kshattriya (a tribe he opposes), he curses Karnan that he will not be able to use the Brahmastra when most needed, and banishes him.

Karnan saves princess Subhangi from an uncontrolled chariot, and they fall in love. Subhangi's parents initially disapprove of their romance, but eventually they accept, and the couple get married. A few years later, Krishna, a supporter of the Pandavas, finds out about Karnan's true background. He tells Kunti that Karnan is her first son whom she abandoned. Karnan gets to know about his birth later. Kunti meets Karnan and gets two wishes from him, one that he will not attack any of her sons (the Pandavas) except Arjuna and that he will attack Arjuna with the Nagastra weapon only once. Karnan refuses to join his brothers, the Pandavas and remains the friend of their enemy Duryodhana.

Before the start of the Kurukshetra war, Duryodhana’s ministry assembles to appoint the generals of the army. Bheeshma is appointed the Commander and he starts nominating generals for different battalions. Karnan is insulted on account of his lowly birth and given the command of a low rank infantry. The war begins and in the early days, Bheeshma retires and Karnan replaces him. The following day, Karnan goes to war accompanied by his son Vrishasena who fights bravely, but is killed by Arjuna afterwards.

The next day, the vengeful Karnan uses the Nagastra to kill Arjuna, but Krishna saves Arjuna by preventing the arrow from hurting him. Since Karnan cannot use the Nagastra more than once, he is unable to kill Arjuna. A wheel of his chariot gets stuck in a big hole, and he steps down to relieve it. At that time, Arjuna, under the direction of Krishna, shoots many arrows at Karnan that severely wounds him. Krishna tells him that the Dharma (noble charity) that Karnan performed during his lifetime was protecting his life.

Krishna disguises as a Brahmin, goes to Karnan and asks him his virtues as donation. Out of generosity, Karnan donates all his virtues to the Brahmin. At this juncture, Arjuna shoots a few more arrows at Karna that kill him. The Pandavas, who realize that Karnan was their eldest brother mourn his death. His mother Kunti also mourns his death, while Subhangi dies hearing her husband being killed in the war. Arjuna remorses killing Karnan when Krishna reveals that the curses by Indra and Parasurama were also responsible for his death. The film ends with Karnan entering heaven and joining his father, the Sun.[7][8]

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

"I played the role of Meghanathan, an orphan, who meets Karnan after my character is accused of setting fire to a school. I finished the long scene in one take and Sivaji sir hugged me tightly,"

— Sridhar, who was paid ₹1,000 (US$12) for the performance[9]

Production

Karnan is based on the life of the character Karna from the Hindu epic Mahabharatha,[10][11] and was formally launched in 1963 at Vijaya Studios in Chennai.[12] The film's art work, one of the major highlights of the film, was done by Ganga, and the cinematography was handled by V. Ramamurthy.[7] Sivaji Ganesan was cast in the titular role, Telugu actor N. T. Rama Rao as Krishna, and R. Muthuraman as Arjuna.[13] Actresses Devika and Savitri were cast in the female lead roles, and S. A. Asokan as Karna's friend Duryodhana.[8] According to one report, actress Sandhya was cast in the role of Karna's mother,[14] though another report stated that the role was portrayed by M. V. Rajamma.[15] Other supporting cast members included actor Shanmugasundaram as the charioteer Salliya Chakravarthy, V. S. Raghavan as Vidhuran,[7] and a then six-year old "Master" Sridhar as the orphan Meghanathan.[9] Actor K. V. Srinivasan played a minor role as the sage who christens the lead character as Karnan. He also dubbed for the voice of Rama Rao, after Ganesan's insistence with director Panthulu.[16]

Karnan was Sivaji Ganesan's most expensive epic film in his entire career and was considered to be "one of the grandest and most expensive films of its times",[13] with an estimated budget of ₹40 lakh (US$48,000).[2] The high cost of the film was attributed to the transportation costs incurred to move chariots from Chennai to Kurukshetra, where the war sequences were filmed. Permission from the government was sought, cavalry and infantry from the Indian Army were brought to the locations at Kurukshetra and the first rows of the charging armies on horses and elephants had soldiers from the Indian Army. Other scenes were shot at palaces in Jaipur.[17] Shooting for Karnan also took place at the Bangalore Palace in the Cantonment area, making it the first film to be shot there.[18] In 2012, Panthulu's son Ravishankar revealed that a few shots involving Ganesan and Rama Rao took as many as four days to shoot, because of the large number of personnel involved.[19] After the filming of Karnan was complete, all the chariots specially made for the war sequences in Kurukshetra, were donated to the Brihadeshwara temple in Thanjavur.[2]

Soundtrack

Untitled

M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy composed the music of Karnan, while Kannadasan penned the lyrics.[20] Notable instruments used for recording the songs include Sarangi, Santoor, Shehnai, Dilruba and other such instruments that were rarely used in Tamil films. The soundtrack was very successful, with the critic Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu stating that "Musically, ‘Karnan' is of a calibre that few have surpassed" and that the "Panthulu-Mellisai Mannar (M.S. Viswanathan) combo resulted in songs that will live on forever".[17]

Tracklist
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."En Uyir Tholi"P. Susheela3:45
2."Iravum Nilavum"T. M. Sounderarajan, P. Susheela3:47
3."Kangal Engey"P. Susheela4:53
4."Kannuku Kulam Yedu"P. Susheela4:09
5."Maharajan"T. M. Sounderarajan, P. Susheela3:22
6."Malai Kodukum"Trichy Loganathan6:56
7."Manjal Mugam"P. Susheela4:24
8."Maranathai Eni"Seerkazhi Govindarajan3:04
9."Poi Vaa Magale"Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi3:44
10."Ullathil Nalla Ullam"Seerkazhi Govindarajan3:51
11."Naanichivandhana"Trichy Loganathan1:15
12."Parithraannaaya"Seerkazhi Govindarajan0:42
13."Aayiram Karangal Neeti"T. M. Sounderarajan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan,
P. B. Srinivas		1:27
14."Ennakoduppan"P. B. Srinivas1:31
15."Malargal Sutti"P. Susheela1:19
16."Mannavar Porulkalai"T. M. Sounderarajan2:47
17."Nilavum Malarum"T. M. Sounderarajan, P. Susheela3:43

Reception

The soundtrack received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu said, "My interest in Karnan (apart from the critic's mandate that I see everything) was primarily the songs", but pointed out that "Seergazhi Govindarajan's liquid diction and brass-throated conviction makes today's male singers sound like tentative little boys in a parent's day recital".[21] Meera Srinivasan, another critic from The Hindu praised the film for the "music score and songs by the inimitable Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo with Kannadasan's striking lyrics".[22] Malathi Rangarajan said, "The illustrious composing duo of Viswanathan and Ramamurthy has worked magic with music".[7] M. Suganth of The Times of India stated "The songs are one too many (but what songs they are!)".[8] K.N. Vijayan of The New Straits Times said, "Instead of trooping out, the audience sat through the 14 songs composed by the Viswanathan-Ramamoorty pair. They are that famous and many can sing along to the lyrics as the songs have been heard countless times on the radio".[11]

Release

Karnan was the most expected film during the festival occasion of Pongal on January 14, 1964,[23] and Shanthi theatre in Chennai, which released the film, had a 60 feet (18 m) tall banner of a chariot to attract the audience.[24] Karnan was the first of the "mythology series" of films that made a comeback during the 1960s. It was also a trendsetter for mythological films in a period when films with social messages were popular.[25]

Critical reception

Karnan received mostly positive reviews. Ayngaran International called the film as "One of the all time great Indian classics with a fantastic star cast and great acting".[26] Meera Srinivasan of The Hindu stated, "‘Karnan', directed by B.R. Panthulu in 1964, is considered a classic for many reasons, including the stunning performances of Sivaji as Karnan and N.T. Rama Rao as Lord Krishna", while highlighting "the powerful battlefield sequences and the music score".[22] M. Suganth of The Times of India gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, saying "The pacing is uneven, the complexities of the plot are overtly simplified," and added that "the narrative isn't tightly structured" but praised Ganesan's performance as a "pitch-perfect larger-than-life performance" and Rama Rao's portrayal of Krishna as "the definitive portrayal of the Lord on screen", calling it "one of the delights of the film".[8] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu called the film's artwork "an exercise in aesthetic splendour" and added, "If the technical crew is brilliant, so is the cast that has Sivaji Ganesan at the helm."[7] Author Firoze Rangoonwalla, in his book 75 years of Indian cinema, called the film a "spectacular mythological".[27]

Behindwoods labelled the film as "One of Sivaji Ganesan's most commanding performances ever" and said, "The movie was a landmark in Tamil cinema when it was first released and still remains so."[13] Kanchana Devi of TruthDive said, "It [Karnan] is one of the best films in the legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan’s hitlists and the film is best remembered for Sivaji’s emotion-filled acting and NTR’s portrayal of Lord Krishna".[28] Rediff called it "one of the most significant films in Sivaji Ganesan's career".[23] K.N. Vijayan of The New Straits Times said, "The actions of certain characters, like Indra and Krishna may appear perplexing to some. Some reading on the internet is needed to understand their reasons". He however praised the film's dialogues by Sakthi Krishnasamy as "classical" and concluded, "Such mythological film is important for the younger generation".[11] Director-actor Cheran, in an interview with Sify said, "One can remake Billa's and Maapillai’s, but it is impossible to remake Sivaji’s immortal Tamil classics", including Karnan.[29]

In contrast, Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu called the film a "disappointment, a historical epic with little so-called relevance to contemporary life (unless you want to acknowledge the Duryodhana-Karna storyline as the granddaddy of today's bromances)" and stated that Ganesan's performance "isn't as all-consuming as his performance in, say, “Thiruvilayaadal”; The Mahabharata, after all, is a tale with an ensemble cast, unlike The Ramayana with its solo hero".[21]

Box office

Karnan, which was released in about 38 screens, completed 100 days in four theatres, including Madurai Thangam (Asia’s second largest theatre), and also completed 105 days at Ganesan's family-owned Shanthi theatre. After completing 80 days, the film was removed from another 12 theatres to allow the release of Pachchai Vilakku – another Sivaji Ganesan-starrer, the reason being the limited availability of theatres at that time.[2] Since most movies of the time in the Tamil movie industry did not have box office reports, the exact collection of the movie is not known.[30]

Re-release

"Karnan made a huge impact on me during my childhood. With the help of technology, I wanted to bring the film back to the big screens to give audiences a taste of the movie's grandeur and valuable message."

"Most of our films have become so damaged that we will never be able to see them on the big screen. A classic example is Thillana Mohanambal, whose prints have been totally damaged. I'm happy that I was able to save Karnan which I'm sure will last for 100 more years after this restoration."

— Shanthi Chokkalingam, in an interview with The Times of India[31]

A digitally restored version of Karnan was released on 16 March 2012,[3] to commemorate the birth centenary of director B. R. Panthulu.[32] It is the first Tamil film to be fully digitally restored,[25] costing ₹40 lakh (US$48,000) and consuming an effort of three years.[4] The effort was undertaken by film distributor Shanthi Chokkalin­gam, who stated that "The sound negative was totally gone and the five to six reels from the picture negative were damaged to a great extent".[31] The digital restoration of Karnan took place at Sangeetha Sound Studios in Chennai, after a failed attempt with Mumbai-based Famous Studios, who earlier restored the Hindi film Mughal-e-Azam.[24] Excessive work was done on visual improvements and audio restoration, with Shanthi Chokkalingam claiming "The biggest challenge was to restore the background score".[9] DVDs were also used to get the sound and music in its original form. To create awareness about the restoration of Karnan, a teaser trailer was launched on February 21 2012, which received a positive response.[2][29]

Karnan's restored version which utilized DTS 5.1 surround sound,[32] was released in 72 screens across Tamil Nadu,[25] and was distributed by Shanthi's Divya Films.[9] It was well received upon release, although the restoration process was criticised for being "far from perfect".[8] Taking a big opening, the film collected roughly ₹2 crore (US$240,000) in Chennai within the first few weeks,[3] and was later reported to have collected a total of ₹5 crore (US$600,000).[28] It had a theatrical run of over 150 days,[23] and having surpassed what it originally managed to collect in its entire 105 day run in Chennai’s Shanthi theatre, the film was officially declared a commercial success.[2] On the occasion of the film's 150th day celebrations, actor Y Gee Mahendran said "Karnan can never be remade. Nobody can replace any of the actors of the 1964 classic, and it would amount to mockery if it is done."[33] The film's success soon gave rise to a trend of digitizing and re-releasing films in Tamil cinema.[34][35] As of July 2012, it was reported that the film would be released in the United States, with English subtitles.[36]

References

  1. ^ M., Bharat Kumar (26 July 2010). "Dadha among directors". News Today. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f D., Govardan (1 April 2012). "The reincarnation of Karnan". Financial Chronicle. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b c D., Madhavan (12 June 2012). "Born again Sivaji's 'Karnan' nears century, keeps audience thrilled". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b Narayanan, Sharadha (17 February 2012). "Sivaji Ganesan's Karnan set for digital re-run". IBN Live. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  5. ^ "A Saga Called Sivaji". Geocities.ws. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  6. ^ "11th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Rangarajan, Malathi (15 March 2012). "Karnan rules". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g M., Suganth (16 March 2012). "Karnan movie review". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Teched-up 'Karnan' to hit screens". The Times of India. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  10. ^ Moviebuzz (12 March 2012). "Karnan to re-release on March 16". Sify. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. ^ a b c K.N., Vijayan (9 August 2012). "CINEMA: Sivaji still drawing them in". The New Straits Times. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  12. ^ "The Illustrated Weekly of India". Vol. 84, Part 1. 1963: 124. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ a b c "Sivaji Ganesan's most expensive epic on the screens". Behindwoods. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  14. ^ "It's the 100th day celebration for Karnan". The Times of India. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  15. ^ "Potpourri of titbits about cinema - M. V. Rajamma". Kalyanamalai Magazine. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  16. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (12 April 2012). "Over to the 'voice'". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  17. ^ a b Rangarajan, Malathi (2 February 2012). "A 100 goes unsung". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  18. ^ "When The Maharaja Did Not Want To Meet Sivaji Ganesan". Behindwoods. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  19. ^ "Karnan Trailer Launch". Behindwoods. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  20. ^ "Karnan songs". Raaga.com. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  21. ^ a b Rangan, Baradwaj (16 March 2012). "Lights, Camera, Conversation… — The granddaddy of bromance". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  22. ^ a b Srinivasan, Meera (30 July 2011). "'Karnan' set to come back, digitally dazzling". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  23. ^ a b c "Tamil film Karnan completes 150 days". Rediff. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  24. ^ a b Narayanan, Sharadha (17 February 2012). "In Karnan, Mughal-E-Azam has serious competition". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  25. ^ a b c V., Mohan Raman (14 April 2012). "Master of mythological cinema". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  26. ^ "Evergreen Blockbuster Karnan in new format". Ayngaran International. February 19, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  27. ^ Rangoonwalla, Firoze (1975). 75 years of Indian cinema. Indian Book Co. p. 152.
  28. ^ a b Devi, Kanchana (30 June 2012). "Karnan crosses 100-days in its re-release after 50 years". TruthDive. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  29. ^ a b Moviebuzz (22 February 2012). "Digital trailer of Sivaji classic Karnan launched". Sify. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  30. ^ Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's other Film Industry. Psychology Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780203930373. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  31. ^ a b M., Suganth (20 February 2012). "Karnan: Old wine in new bottle". The Times Of India. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  32. ^ a b Rangarajan, Malathi (25 February 2012). "Karnan Calling". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  33. ^ Moviebuzz. "Karnan celebrates 150 days". Sify. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  34. ^ B., Chitra (29 April 2012). "Old favourites". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  35. ^ Moviebuzz (23 March 2012). "Re-Release is the new trend in Kollywood". Sify. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  36. ^ "Sivaji Ganesan's 'Karnan' to be released in US". IBN Live. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karnan_(1964_film)&oldid=538134841"