''Mayura'' is a 1975 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

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

film, directed by Vijay. It is one of the most popular films of acclaimed Kannada actor Rajkumar, who plays the role of Prince

Mayurasharma Mayurasharma or Mayuravarma (reigned 345–365 C.E.), a native of Talagunda (in modern Shimoga district), was the founder of the Kadamba Kingdom of Banavasi, the earliest native kingdom to rule over what is today the modern state of Karnataka, ...

of the Kadamba dynasty, the earliest native kingdom to rule over what is today the modern state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. The film depicts the life of Mayura, a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

youth, as he discovers his royal heritage and realizes his destiny of ascending to the throne of the then-

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

kingdom. Based on a novel of the same name by

Devudu Narasimha Sastri Devudu Narasimha Sastry (ದೇವುಡು ನರಸಿಂಹಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ. 29 December 1886 - 27 October 1962), known popularly by his pen-name Devudu was an eminent Kannada writer and novelist, Sanskrit scholar, actor and a journal ...

, the film is notable for its various scenes filmed inside and around the famous Mysore Palace. The movie was also the last movie to be shot inside the Mysore Palace. The movie saw a theatrical run of 30 weeks. It is considered by many as a symbol of Kannada pride. The movie was dubbed in Telugu as ''Mahaveera Mayura'' and in Malayalam in 1976 as ''Raja Mayura Varma''.

Plot

The film opens in

Kanchi Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...

with Mayura, a

youth challenging an arrogant wrestler and defeating him. Mayura had never been formally trained and had only learned techniques of wrestling by observing other wrestlers. As a Brahmin, he was required to study

Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Co ...

s, yet he was deeply interested in martial arts and after this wrestling encounter, Ranga Jetti (

M. P. Shankar M. P. Shankar (20 August 1935 – 17 July 2008) was an Indian actor in Kannada cinema. He acted in films like Satya Harishchandra (1965 Kannada film), Satya Harishchandra as 'Veera Baahu', Naagarahaavu as 'Pailwan Basanna', ''Bhootayyana Maga Ay ...

), the premier wrestler in Kanchi, takes him under his wing and trains him. After becoming proficient in all the martial arts, one day, while observing the training of Pallava princes, Mayura accidentally gets into a fight with and gives a thrashing to Vishnugopa (

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

prince, thereby earning his enmity. After this, Mayura has to flee Kanchi as per the advice of Ranga Jetti, to escape from pursuing Pallavas. He also then learns that he is in fact the son of Raja Chandravarma, the Kadamba king who was killed through deceit by the Pallava king, Sivaskandhavarma. Upon learning from his father's minister about his Kshatriya antecedents and his illustrious lineage, Mayura dedicates himself to throw the Pallava (foreign) yoke and liberate his motherland. Returning to Banavasi in the guise of a merchant called Nilakanthagupta, Mayura builds a following and an army. Through clever strategies, he conquers both Banavasi and the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

speaking regions around Srishaila, thus building a vast kingdom. While the film builds the rivalry between Vishnugopa and Mayura, it also throws light on the mutually admiring friendship between Mayura and the Pallava crown prince (

Srinath Narayana Swamy (born 28 December 1944), known by his stage name Srinath, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He holds the position of vice-president of the Kannada television channel Udaya TV. He is ...

) and also on the growing love between Mayura and the Pallava princess Premavati (

Manjula Manjula (Sanskrit: मंजुला) is a Hindu and Sanskrit female given name, which means, "melodious". Notable people named Manjula * Manjula (Kannada actress) (1954–1986), Indian actress * Manjula Chellur (born 1955), Indian doctor and ...

). In the end, Vishnugopa overcomes his anger and hatred towards Mayura, who marries Premavati, with the blessings of Sivaskandhavarma himself.

Cast

* Rajkumar as

, a young Brahmin who rises against the

rulers upon being humiliated by one of their kingsmen. *

as the

Yuvaraja Yuv(a)raj(a) (Sanskrit: युवराज) is an Indian title for the crown prince, and the heir apparent to the throne of an Indian (notably Hindu) kingdom or (notably in the Mughal Empire or British Raj) princely state. It is usually applied t ...

of the Pallavas, the Yuvaraja is a wise and far-sighted prince who admires Mayura for his boldness in standing up to his brother Prince Vishnugopa. *

as Prince Vishnugopa, the

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

of the film, his arrogance and ruthless ambition infuriates Mayura and drives him to rally the populace against his oppression. *

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 Madhukeshwara, an aide to Mayura in his days as an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

and

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

, his loyalties are tested when the authority puts out a reward on any information leading to Mayura's capture. *

as Premavati *

K. S. Ashwath Karaganahalli Subbaraya Ashwathanarayana (25 March 1925 – 18 January 2010) was an Indian veteran actor who appeared in Kannada films He appeared in over 370 films during his five-decade-long career. His only memorial in the whole of Karnata ...

as Shadananasharma *

as Ranga Jetti *

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 Kotwal *

Shakti Prasad J. C. Ramaswamy (19 May 1928 – 2 August 1986), known by his screen name Shakti Prasad, was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films in mostly villainous roles. In a career spanning close to 20 years, he appeared in over 200 films includ ...

as Narasimhadutta / Jada *

Sampath Sampath is a given name and surname, meaning ''prosperity'' or ''wealth'' in Hindu/Sanskrit. Given name * K. V. Sampath Kumar (1956/1957–2021), Indian newspaper editor * P. Sampath Kumar, Indian politician * R. Sampath Raj (born 1969), In ...

as Veerasharma * Raja Shankar *

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 Kan ...

as King Shivaskandavarman *

Tiger Prabhakar Tiger Prabhakar (30 March 1948 – 25 March 2001), also known as Kannada Prabhakar, was an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Kannada and Telugu cinema, with a few Malayalam, Tamil and Bollywood films. Career Prabhakar started hi ...

as Cheluva, a wrestler *

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 Eeshabhatta, Mayurasharma's foster father * Joker Shyam as Parameshwara

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of ''Mayura'' consists of three tracks, all composed by G. K. Venkatesh, with its lyrics written by

Chi. Udayashankar 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. Hi ...

and sung by P. B. Sreenivas, Rajkumar and

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...

.Saregama - Mayura
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Legacy

Mayuravarma is the earliest known native ruler to rule over areas which now form Karnataka.Kamath (2001), p. 30 Before the rise of the Kadambas, the centers of power ruling the land were outside of the Karnataka region. Moraes (1931), pp. 9-10 But with the Kadambas' ascent to power, Kannada language and culture was brought into the mainstream and attained the status of majority, due to which Mayuravarma's reign, and his depiction in the film, is regarded with pride by present-day Kannadigas.

References

External links

George M. Moraes George Mark Moraes (11 May 1905 – April 1994) was a renowned historian, author, writer and professor from Goa. He has over 29 historical and research works to his name which were published in 74 publications and 542 library holdings. He is ...

(1931), The Kadamba Kula, A History of Ancient and Medieval Karnataka, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, Madras, 1990 * Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002) OCLC: 7796041 * {{Vijay 1975 films 1970s Kannada-language films Indian historical drama films 1970s historical drama films Indian epic films Films based on Indian novels Films set in ancient India Films scored by G. K. Venkatesh Films about outlaws 1970s vigilante films Indian vigilante films 1975 drama films Films directed by Vijay (director)

Plot

Cast

Soundtrack

Legacy

See also

References

External links