Sharapanjara

Sharapanjara (English: Cage of Arrows) is a 1971 Indian Kannada language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on a novel by Triveni of the same name, and starring Kalpana and Gangadhar in lead roles. This film is considered one of the best Kannada movies ever made. Triveni's novel was richly visual and Puttanna not only stayed faithful to the novel on screen but also retained most of the novel's dialogues and credited Triveni for them.

Sharapanjara
Poster
Directed byPuttanna Kanagal
Produced byC. S. Rajah
Written byTriveni
Screenplay byPuttanna Kanagal
Based onSharapanjara
by Triveni
StarringKalpana
Gangadhar
Leelavathi
K. S. Ashwath
Music byVijaya Bhaskar
CinematographyD. V. Rajaram
Edited byV. P. Krishna
Distributed byVardhini Art Pictures
Release date
1971
Running time
172 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada

The film won the award for Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 20th National Film Awards in 1972.[1] It also won three awards at the 1970-71 Karnataka State Film Awards including the award for First Best Film.

The film was later remade in Telugu as Krishnaveni (1974) starring Vanisri.[2][3]

Plot

The film revolves around the issues of a woman's chastity, the acceptance of mentally ill by society and unfaithful spouses. The story starts with the chance meeting of the heroine Kaveri (Kalpana) and the hero Sathish (Gangadhar). Sathish falls in love with Kaveri who is educated, sophisticated, beautiful and hails from a respectable family and they get married with the blessings of their parents. They form a picture-perfect couple. They build their dream house, have a son, buy a car and are generally prosperous. When Kaveri conceives for the second time, the doctor express concern over her health. During the post-partum period, she is haunted by a past incident of childhood abuse and molestation during her teenage, loses her mental balance and is admitted to a mental hospital. After recovery, when she is discharged from the hospital, and returns home, Satish treats her with callousness. Kaveri faces scorn from her family, neighbours and society in general, as well. The final blow comes when Kaveri discovers that Satish is having an extra-marital relationship with a female colleague of questionable morals that Satish previously treated with disdain. Unable to bear it all, Kaveri goes insane once again. Kalpana's performance as the traumatized woman was widely acclaimed by critics.

The movie dwells on two social issues. One, the male ego and entitlement. Kaveri's husband spurns her because of her past incident. And uses it as an alibi to be unfaithful to her. Two, the social acceptability of mentally challenged people. The general treatment Kaveri receives from her servants, her cook, her family members and neighbours depicts how the society lacks the sensitivity that is so much needed for people like Kaveri.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack composed by Vijaya Bhaskar was well received by the audience. Songs like Sandesha Megha Sandesha and Uttara Dhruvadim Dakshina Dhruvaku are still popular.

TitleSingersLyrics
"Bandhana Sharapanjaradali Bandhana"DevadasVijaya Narasimha
"Bandhana Sharapanjaradali Bandhana"P. SusheelaVijaya Narasimha
"Biligiri Rangayya Neene Helayya"P. SusheelaKanagal Prabhakara Sastry
"Hadinaalku Varsha Vanavasadindha"P. SusheelaVijaya Narasimha
"Kodagina Kaaveri"P. Susheela, P. B. SreenivasKanagal Prabhakara Sastry
"Sandesha Megha Sandesha"P. SusheelaVijaya Narasimha
"Uttara Dhruvadim Dakshina Dhruvaku"P. Susheela, P. B. SreenivasD. R. Bendre

Reception

The film was a big hit and ran for one year in Karnataka in about three theatres. The character Kaveri portrayed by Kalpana is one of the strongest and widely acclaimed characters in Kannada cinema. The movie gave impetus to Kalpana's career.

Awards
This film screened at IFFI 1992 Kannada cinema Retrospect.
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References
  1. "20th National Film Awards (1972)" (PDF). International Film Festival of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  2. https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/friends-and-colleagues-of-puttana-kanagal-remember-him-on-his-86th-birthday/article30115174.ece
  3. "Krishnaveni (1974)".
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