Based on the Kannada novel Bara by eminent writer U. R. Ananthamurthy, the story deals with the politics of famine in Karnataka. An idealistic officer eventually succumbs to bureaucratic apathy - famine relief arrives, but too late. Simultaneously shot in Hindi as Sookha; that version was released in 1983.
Acting
Anant Nag's crumbling idealism — every micro-expression hurts.
Direction
M.S. Sathyu turns famine into visual poetry, then punches you with it.
Writing
U.R. Ananthamurthy's novel adapted with zero compromise.
Director
M.S. Sathyu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot simultaneously in Hindi as 'Sookha,' but the Kannada original hits harder with local dialect and caste specificity that dubbing couldn't capture.
Ananthamurthy based the novel on real 1970s Karnataka famines; the film's release during the early '80s drought made it dangerously relevant propaganda.
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