Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy plans a documentary Film Festival in Mysuru

Mysore/Mysuru: Noted actor and Kannada cinema veteran Doddanna has urged the State Government to give land in every district to establish institutions like Rangayana. “Only then our culture, rich folk art, local language and literature will thrive,” he opined.

Doddanna was speaking during the inaugural event of the Film Festival organised as part of Bahuroopi National Theatre Festival of Rangayana, Mysuru, in association with Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA), in city yesterday. Actor Doddanna inaugurated the Film Festival along with KCA Chairman Ashok Kashyap and Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa.

“Rangayana, through its plays and programmes like Bahuroopi, is trying its best to disseminate culture and I am happy to note that this year’s theme is Indianness, a much deserving theme these days in the wake of external and more potent internal threats. The State Government sanctions land for every cause and many of them are silly. In fact, it must grant land in every district to set up institutions like Rangayana to save our culture and art,” he said. “There is no death for an actor who has performed in plays and has come from a theatre background as he has survived the struggles during his/ her stint in theatre. Such actors can perform with ease anywhere, even in cinemas. Actors should literally live the character, which they perform, like Dr. Rajkumar did,” he added.

Doddanna entertained the audience with some dialogues from his films to match the Indianness theme of Bahuroopi. “Our land is so rich in art, culture and nobility, even demons turn humble,” he said and received thunderous applause from the audience.

KCA Chairman Ashok Kashyap assured of giving his personal collection of DVDs of over 20,000 international movies to Rangayana so that it helps in sensitising the students and general public on national and international issues. Regretting that most Film Fests in State are limited to Bengaluru, Kashyap said that there is a desperate need to host such festivals in other places like Mysuru which is culturally rich and there are people who support such events.

“The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy has planned a documentary Film Festival in Mysuru, in association with Rangayana, as part of the international Film Festival which will be held in Bengaluru in March 2023. This is to extend the film fest beyond Bengaluru,” he revealed.

A proposal will be sent to the Government on the documentary Film Fest and there are plans to host a workshop on cinema and its related aspects, he added.

Kannada and Culture Department Joint Director V.S. Mallikarjunaswamy, Rangayana Dy. Director Nirmala Mathapati, Bahuroopi Convener Jagadish Manavarthe and Bahuroopi Film Festival Conveners K. Manu and B.N. Shashikala were present. As many as 27 movies of Kannada, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Nepali languages are being screened at Sriranga auditorium of Rangayana.

Houseful crowd for play ‘Tipu Nija Kanasugalu’

As the much-awaited plays of Bahuroopi National Theatre Fest began last evening, the play ‘Tipu Nija Kanasugalu,’ written and directed by Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa, had a packed audience.

The play was staged at Bhoomigeeta auditorium in Rangayana and all the 210 seats were filled. The tickets for the play were sold out much in advance. Regarding other plays too, 50 percent of the tickets are sold out.

As part of ‘Janapadotsava,’ Shivamallegowda and troupe from Chamarajanagar performed ‘Goravara Nritya’ and Dr. Manonmani and troupe, Mysuru, rendered ‘traditional songs.’