Art of Society through K Vishwanath's eyes

 

K Vishwanath, one of the most renowned directors of the Indian film industry left behind a legacy of films when he passed away. Take any film of his and I assure you, you will not be disappointed. 

Last weekend, I decided to watch 3 very famous movies of his. Sankarabharanam, Sagara Sangamam, and Swarabhishekam. Apart from the fact that all three of the films start their names with ‘S’, all three of them are movies with amazing songs and filmography that glorifies Indian cinema. Although his movies may seem like art films, they are definitely not of that genre. Vishwanath’s movies are a complete package of entertainment that the audience desire. He taught the industry to use music, art, and dance to talk about serious issues like caste, religion, and other problems the society faces. 

Sankarabharanam, one of Vishwanath’s greatest accomplishments is a movie that cannot be missed. Portraying a story about caste and the consequences it has on people, it’s stellar cast and performances cannot be missed. With songs that will be etched in your heart forever, it’s a must-watch. Through the medium of music, the director has portrayed the caste issues people faced in early India. The protagonist of this film is from an upper-caste family whereas the heroine of this film is a ‘dasi’ or a servant who belongs to the lower-caste. In this film, K. Vishwanath has shown that music and its rich culture transcends all problems that caste has. Be it the fact that people shun Shankara Shastri, the protagonist when he lets Tulasi, the dasi stay with him, or how Tulasi’s son becomes Shastri’s disciple, every part of this film is laced with music. No matter what the issue might be, he’s explained the most serious of issues with the utmost ease. How has he done it? With the help of music. 

Moving on to Sagara Sangamam, this movie uses dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Kuchupudi to enhance the story. This movie tells the story of Balu (Kamal Hassan), who is a good dancer but can’t stoop down to any level to be commercially successful. He meets Jayaprada’s character who helps him participate in competitions. Eventually, they fall in love. When Balu knows that she was married, he breaks up with her. Years pass by and Balu becomes an art critic who is an alcoholic. He doesn’t know he has a child with Jayaprada. But, by the end of the film, he teachers his daughter dance. The issue of the extramarital affair has been tackled beautifully with dance in this movie. A situation that was extremely progressive and controversial in that era was easily shown through the film. Such an issue was portrayed in a way that the story of the film was told through dance.

The last movie that I saw was Swarabhishekam. K Vishwanath has acted and directed in the film. Core issues that every family face like jealousy, ego, and competition are portrayed in this film. It tells the story of two brothers who are both Carnatic singers. After the younger brother gets married, his wife feels a sense of resentment towards her brother-in-law. She feels that her husband should get better recognition as he does most of the work. Meanwhile, the elder brother gets awarded with a Padmashri and the problems only worsen. Issues keep on rising and it reaches a point where the brother has a fallout with each other. At the end of the movie, the younger brother’s wife realizes her mistake and strives hard to bring back the family together. Familial problems that happen everywhere are shown in this film with the utmost ease. Music accompanies the whole length of the film.

Through Vishwanath’s film, he tries to portray various serious issues like caste and religion. He has also tried to express various scenarios like mental health awareness, sexual abuse, and even the remarriage of a widow. No matter what movies of his you see, all of them will have a dance, music, and culture playing a central role. Be it casteism or even extramarital affairs, he says the stories and the issues he wants to talk about with ease.