''Bahaddur Gandu'' () is a 1976 Indian

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

-language swashbuckler film directed by A. V. Sheshagiri Rao, starring Rajkumar, Jayanthi, Aarathi and

Vajramuni Sadananda Sagar (11 May 1944 – 5 January 2006), better known by his stage name Vajramuni, was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films. He portrayed negative characters during most of his career and was considered one of Kannada cinema's ...

. The movie saw a theatrical run of 19 weeks. The story was penned by the celebrated playwright H. V. Subba Rao based on

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

''.

Plot

Rajkumar plays an upright Panju, who stays in Bankapura with his mother. Due to the evil policies of crown prince Vajramuni and princess Jayanti, Panju and villagers are at the risk of losing their lands. When much pleading does not work, Panju leads farmers agitation to the palace, where he is captured, put to jail, and tortured. Panju escapes from the prison, kidnaps Jayanti to his village to teach her civic norms, and shows her the harsh realities normal people face each day. He gets the entire village relocated across the adjoining river, so that royal soldiers cannot trace them. He is able to turn the princess to appreciate the normal way-of-life, but faces the wrath of the Palace and administration. Can he turn the tides and win his biggest battle? The film also stars Arathi as a village girl who is in love with Panju, who gets killed by Vajramuni for thwarting his advances.

Cast

* Rajkumar as Panju * Aarathi * Jayanthi as Kamala, the arrogant princess *

Balakrishna Bala Krishna ( sa, बाल कृष्ण, lit=child Krishna/divine child Krishna, translit=Bālakṛṣṇa). Present day Krishna worship is an amalgam of various elements. According to historical testimonies Krishna-Vasudeva worship alread ...

as the prince who kills his own brother, Kamala's elder brother *

Dwarakish Bungle Shama Rao Dwarakanath (born 19 August 1942), better known as Dwarakish ( ), is an Indian actor, director and producer in the Kannada film industry. He was given the name Dwarakish by Kannada film maker C. V. Shivashankar. Early life D ...

as Panju's friend *

Rajashankar Raja Shankar or Rajashankar was an Indian actor in Kannada cinema. His films include '' Bhakta Kumbara'' (1974), ''Sampathige Saval'' (1974) and '' Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'' (1974). He also co-produced the 1974 Kannada movie ''Bangaarada Panjara'' ...

Thoogudeepa Srinivas Mysore Srinivas (17 April 1943 – 16 October 1995), known by his stage name Thoogudeepa Srinivas was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films and is remembered for his portrayal of negative-shaded characters. He is the father of actor, D ...

as commander-in-chief *

Rajanand Venkataraju known by his professional name Rajanand (1927-2004), was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. Some of the notable films of Rajanand as an actor include '' Operation Diamond Racket'' (1978), '' Mayura'' (1975), and '' Eradu Ka ...

* Joker Shyam *

Shani Mahadevappa Shani Mahadevappa (1933 – 3 January 2021) was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. His films include ''Shankar Guru'' (1978), '' Kaviratna Kalidasa (1983)'', ''Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'' (1974), '' Shivashankar'' (1990), '' Guru Brahma' ...

as a villager * Venkataraju * Kunigal Ramnath * B. Jaya as a villager

Soundtrack

M. Ranga Rao composed the soundtrack, and lyrics were written by

Chi. Udaya Shankar Chitnahalli Udayashankar (18 February 1934 – 2 July 1993; born in Chitnahalli) was an Indian lyricist and dialogue writer in the Kannada film industry for over three decades, who penned more than 3000 songs for films and devotional songs. H ...

. The album consists of five soundtracks.

References

External links

* 1970s Kannada-language films 1976 films Indian action drama films Films scored by M. Ranga Rao Films with screenplays by Chi. Udayashankar Films directed by A. V. Seshagiri Rao 1970s action drama films {{1970s-Kannada-film-stub