''Kaadu'' (''Forest'') is a 1973 Indian

Kannada film Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

written and directed by

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

. The screenplay was based on a novel of the same name by

Srikrishna Alanahalli Srikrishna Alanahalli (3 April 1947 – 4 January 1989) was an Indian novelist and poet. The majority of his works are written in the Kannada language. He became popular for his novels ''Kaadu'' (1972), ''Parasangada Gendethimma'' (1978) and ' ...

. It stars Master G. S. Nataraj,

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actors ...

and

Nandini Bhaktavatsala Nandini Bhaktavatsala (born Prema) is an Indian actress who works in the Kannada film industry. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 1973 for the Kannada film '' Kaadu''. She is married to Bhaktavatsala, a film producer. Biography ...

in the lead roles. The film won awards at the 21st National Film Awards and the 21st Filmfare Awards South.

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...

called it one of his favourite films and said this film served as inspiration for his film ''

Thevar Magan ''Thevar Magan'' () is a 1992 Indian, Tamil-language drama film written by Kamal Haasan, who also produced the film, and directed by Bharathan. It stars Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami and Nassar; with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Radhakr ...

'' (1992).

Plot

Kitti, an eight-year-old boy, is brought from a city to a village called Koppal by his uncle, Chandre Gowda. Gowda is married to Kamali and the couple are childless. Kitti develops a deep attachment to Kamali and the thick forests in Koppal. Gowda is a frequent visitor to a nearby village called Hosur, where he has a mistress, Basakka. Kamali is aware of her husband's extra marital relationship, but remains helpless. On one evening, Kamali takes Kitti and a servant along with her to the forest. They meet a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

who performs a sacrifice which is meant to keep Gowda away from Basakka. He assures Kamali that she will get back her husband from the fold of Basakka. Kitti gets to know about his uncle's extramarital affair. The fight between two individuals turns into a feud between the two villages Koppalu and Hosuru. Kamali is convinced that the effect of the witchcraft is beginning to take place. Meanwhile, Gowda gets a message from Basakka, asking him not to come to Hosur as his life might be under danger. Gowda thinks that his pride is hurt, and to prove his courage he sends her a message that he will come the following night. A distressed Kamali makes a second attempt to keep her husband at home. She decides to go to the witch but is fatally attacked by Hosur Shivaganga's men on the way. This leads to the villagers of Koppal launch a massive attack on their Hosur counterparts. In the fight that ensues, Shivaganga gets killed by Gowda's servants. The police come to the village and arrest Chandre Gowda and other criminals and sets up an outpost near the villages, and ask the villagers to pay fine for its maintenance. This also ensures that the villagers are refrained from conducting the ''Nyaya''.

Cast

* Master G. S. Nataraj as Kitti, Gowda's nephew *

as Chandre Gowda *

as Kamali, Gowda's wife *

Sunder Raj The Sentinelese, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders, are an indigenous people who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Designated a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Gro ...

as kencha *

Lokesh Lokesh (; 19 May 1947 – 14 October 2004) was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada plays and films. His wife Girija Lokesh is an actress and film director. His father was Subbaiah Naidu, who is credited to be first hero of Kannada silent mo ...

as Shivaganga *

Uma Shivakumar Uma Shivakumar (c. 1941 – 25 June 2013) was an Indian film and theatre character actress, who career included role in more than 170 Kannada language films and more than 30 plays. She was nicknamed "Baddi Bangaramma" by audiences, after the p ...

as the Basakka, Gowda's mistress * Kalpana Sirur *

T. S. Nagabharana Talakadu Srinivasaiah Nagabharana (born 23 January 1953), commonly known as T. S. Nagabharana, is an Indian film director, in the Kannada film industry and a pioneer of parallel cinema. He is one of the few film directors to have straddled t ...

Production and theme

The film is based on a novel of the same name by Kannada writer

. The story combines three interdependent themes – the tragedy that shocks the village, the tragic story of Kamali, and the story of the eight-year-old boy who visualises all these events. The story is seen through the eyes of Kitti. Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in their book, ''Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'', noted that the boy cannot distinguish between the "man-made violence" and the "primeval threats" presented by the dense forest; according to a legend, the forest has a killer bird that calls out its victims by name. The film was Karnad's first venture as an independent director. Amrish Puri, a regular face in

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received ...

's films was chosen to play the main lead. The cinematography was handled by

Govind Nihalani Govind Nihalani (born 19 December 1940) is an Indian film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Hindi cinema. He has been the recipient of six National Film Awards, and five Bollywood Filmfare Awards. In 1 ...

, who was also associated with Benegal.

B. V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (Kannada: ಬಾಬುಕೋಡಿ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ ಕಾರಂತ) (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, co ...

composed the film score and was in charge of art direction.

, who would later go on to become an independent filmmaker, worked as a costume designer and assisted Karnad in the film.

Legacy

''Kaadu'' is regarded as one of the earliest

Parallel Cinema Parallel cinema, or New Indian Cinema, is a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema. Inspired by Italian Neorealism, Parallel Cinema ...

in the Kannada film industry. Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in their book, ''Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'', noted that Karnad's ''Kaadu'' and Benegal's '' Ankur'' placed both filmmakers "squarely within New Indian Cinema's ruralism".

called it one of his favourite films and said this film served as inspiration for his film ''

'' (1992).

Awards

; 21st National Film Awards * Second Best Feature Film – K. N. Narayan, G. N. Lakshmipathy (producers) and Girish Karnad (director) *

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

– Nandini Bhaktavatsala * Best Child Artist – Master G. S. Nataraj ;

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

1973-74 * Second Best Film *

– Nandini Bhaktavatsala * Best Story Writer – Srikrishna Alanahalli * Best Sound Recording – A. Govindaswamy * Best Child Actor – G. S. Nataraj ; 22nd Filmfare Awards South *

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

– K. N. Narayan and G. N. Lakshmipathy *

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

– Girish Karnad ;4th

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

* Special Mention Award

Footnotes

Citations

References

External links

* {{Girish Karnad 1970s Kannada-language films Indian thriller films Indian black-and-white films Films based on Indian novels Films set in forests Films set in Karnataka Films featuring a Best Actress National Award-winning performance Second Best Feature Film National Film Award winners Films directed by Girish Karnad 1970s thriller films