Hamsageethe: Standing the test of time-OxBig News Network

The year 1975 was a culturally significant one for parallel cinema in Karnataka, with the release of MS Sathyu’s Garam Hava, BV Karanth’s Chomana Dudi, Pallavi by P Lankesh, Kankana by MBS Prasad and GV Iyer’s Hamsageethe. While the first two films received a great deal of critical attention, Hamsageethe faded from public memory despite the two national awards it won. 

A cut above

This year marks five decades of the film, (Hamsageethe was released on August 17, 1975) which won praise for its imaginative cinematography by Nemai Ghosh, absorbing music by M Balamuralikrishna and BV Karanth, artwork by P Krishnamurthy, stellar acting by Ananth Nag, BV Karanth and Rekha Rao, and direction by Iyer. Hamsageethe (which means swan song) tells of the circumstances that lead 19th-century Carnatic singer Bhairavi Venkatasubbaiah to defy royal patronage and declare, through self-mutilation of the tongue, that “music is nobody’s slave”.

Hamsageethe is based on Talukina Ramaswamayya Subba Rao’s (TaRaSu) eponymous 1952 novel. The Hindi film, Basant Bahar based on the novel, was made in 1956. Directed by MV Raman, the songs composed for Basant Bahar are still counted among the most melodious, and the movie won Certificate of Merit for the Best Feature Film in Hindi at the fourth National Film Awards in 1956.

Insider’s view

Hamsageethe marked a significant milestone in his career, says actor Ananth Nag, adding, “My portrayal of Bhairavi Venkatasubbaiah was noted for its depth and sensitivity in portraying personal dilemma. It influenced my approach to subsequent roles and in understanding a character’s inner conflicts.”

“The film underscored the importance of storytelling that resonated with audiences on an emotional and intellectual level,” says the actor.

According to Ananth, around the time Hamsageethe was released, the parallel cinema movement was slowly gaining acceptance in Karnataka, and encouraged Iyer to craft it along the lines of new wave cinema.

Rekha Rao
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Special Arrangement

Rekha Rao, who plays Chandra, the female protagonist, recalls her experience in working with Iyer in Hamsageethe, saying, “I was just 16 then. Iyer had watched my performance in a play and decided to cast me for the role.”

Following Hamsageethe, Rekha says she acted in films including Kuduremotte, Naalegalannu Maaduvavaru, VRK Prasad’s Prema-Kama and S Diwakar’s Ithihasa. “It was a wonderful experience to work with Iyer, he was a master of filmmaking.”

Barefoot filmmaker

Director Ganapathi Venkatarama Iyer, popularly known as the ‘barefoot filmmaker’ because he renounced footwear, began his creative career in Kannada theatre. On entering commercial cinema, he acted, produced and directed, eventually gaining recognition for Vamshavruksha, which he jointly directed with Girish Karnad and BV Karanth. Hamsageethe came three years later, and was hailed for the fact that its dialogues lasted no more than 18 minutes.

Critics and film historians regard Hamsageethe as one of Iyer’s best films, mainly for the appropriate use of classical Carnatic music. Iyer was convinced that the limitation of the spoken word could be overcome through the creative powers of music.

Musical hinge

Venkatasubbaiah, the protagonist in Hamsageethe, struggles to attain mastery over the Raga Bhairavi. Eventually, his prowess and fame increase and he is recognised as a court vidwan.

Blinded by royal favour and growing fame, Venkatasubbaiah belittles his teacher at a performance, and humiliated by this public demonstration of his musical shortcomings, his guru, Tirumalayya dies by suicide.

Disturbed and remorseful, Venkatasubbaiah goes in search of a new guru, whom he finds in a recluse living in the hills. He learns from his new teacher and attains perfection. Around the same time, he falls in love and is constantly in need of resources to maintain his life, causing him to pledge two of his compositions as surety to his creditors. 

The film features a number of songs composed by musical greats including Purandara Dasa, Oothukkadu Venkatasubbayyar, Jayadeva, Shama Shastry, and Muthuswamy Dikshitar, and were sung by leading voices of the day such as M Balamuralikrishna, ML Vasantha Kumari, Ramamurthy P Leela, B Vasantha and BK Sumithra. 

Hamsageethe is still loved for its use of tanam, Himadrisuthe, Chintam Nastikilam, Manamaye, Kalinganarthana Thillana, and Sri Saraswathi, as well as excerpts from Geetha Govinda, Nathahare, Thava Virahe Vanamali, and Amba Tavapadambhoja. 

Celebration of dance

Apart from music, Hamsageethe was a celebration of classical dance forms — Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, and was choreographed by Radhakrishna and Adyar K Lakshman.

The film was shot to emphasise the barren, rocky backdrop of Chitradurga as an analogy for a musician’s quest for aesthetic rigour. Art director P Krishnamurthy effectively made use of the Chitradurga fort with the support of cinematographer Nemai Ghosh.

A still from Hamsageethe
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement