Karnan (1964 film)

For other uses, see Karna (disambiguation).

Karnan
File:Karnan Cover.jpg Promotional Poster
Directed by	B. R. Panthulu
Written by	Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy
Produced by	B. R. Panthulu
Starring	Sivaji Ganesan N. T. Rama Rao S. A. Ashokan R. Muthuraman Devika Savitri M. V. Rajamma
Cinematography	V. Ramamoorthy
Edited by	R. Devarajan
Music by	M. S. Viswanathan T. K. Ramamoorthy
Production company	Padmini Pictures
Release date	14 January 1964
Running time	175 min
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Karnan is a 1964 Tamil mythological epic film written by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy and directed by B. Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu. It features an ensemble cast composed of Sivaji Ganesan, N. T. Rama Rao, S. A. Ashokan, R. Muthuraman, Devika, Savitri and M. V. Rajamma. The film is based on the story of Karna, a character from the Indian Hindu epic Mahabharata, who is born to an unwed mother Kunti and is therefore set afloat in the Ganges, later discovered and adopted by a kind charioteer and his wife. He does not want to follow in his foster father's footsteps and wants to be a warrior. He then befriends Duryodhan, thus setting the initial grounds of the Kurukshetra war - where he will join Duryodhan to battle the Pandavas - none other than Kunti's sons. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Karna and subsequently as Dhaan Veer Karna in Hindi. Karnan was released on 14 January 1964, coinciding with Pongal festival to critical acclaim. The film was digitized and re-released in March 2012.

Plot

Born with Kavasam and Kundalam (Armour and ear-rings), and bequeathed as a gift from the Sun God to an unwed Kunti (M. V. Rajamma), Karnan is abandoned so as to prevent embarrassment for her. He is set afloat in the Ganga, rescued and adopted by a charioteer, who is employed with Dhritarashtra, the blind king. Years later, the now-grown up Karnan (Sivaji Ganesan) realizes that the charioteer is his foster father only, thus heartbroken. He does not want to become a charioteer like his foster father, and chooses to become a warrior. He masters archery and challenges the Pandava prince Arjun (R. Muthuraman) at a contest. When Karnan is insulted on account of his birth, the Kaurava prince Duryodhan (S. A. Ashokan) defends him and accepts him as his partner. Karnan is eventually crowned the king of Anga. Shortly after, a young orphan Meghanathan ("Master" Sridhar), who was accused of setting a school on fire, runs to Karnan seeking justice. The latter, knowing he is equally an orphan, agrees to help Meghanathan.

At one time, Lord Indra, the rain god and king of heavens, disguised as an old Brahmin, goes to Karnan and asks for his Kavasam and Kundalam in daanam (donation). Indra was apprehensive that Karnan, by virtue of his phenomenal skills as a warrior, may be able to overwhelm Arjun. He therefore asked for this gift so as to reduce his strength. Karnan had been cautioned by the Sun God that Lord Indra was going to make some such move. But Karna is so large hearted that he cannot refuse anyone. Knowing fully well, that Indra was playing a trick on him disguised as a Brahmin, he yet parts with his Kavasam and Kundalam, which were parts of his body since birth and which made him invincible. Lord Indra is taken aback at Karnan's capacity to give away anything asked for. He tells that what Karnan has done today, no ordinary mortal could have done. Immensely pleased with Karnan's generosity, Indra lets him ask for any varam (wish). Karnan asks Indra to kindly give him the weapon Shakti which has the potential to destroy any enemy. Lord Indra gives Shakti to Karnan with the proviso however that he could use it only once and that thereafter the weapon shall return to Lord Indra.

Karnan is keen to acquire the Brahmastra Mantra from the great teacher Parasuram. However, he knows that Parasuram gives instructions to Brahmins (the priestly tribe) only. So he disguises as a Brahmin and beseeches Parasuram to accept him as a sishya (disciple). Parsuram accepts him as such and starts giving him instructions. One day when Parasuram is resting in Karnan's lap, it so happens that a giant bee stings Karnan on the lower portion of his thigh. It was very painful and he starts bleeding. However, fearing that if he moved his legs, he would awaken Parasuram, he does not move at all and continues to suffer. When Parasuram wakes up, he sees Karnan bleeding. He asks Karnan about his true identity, and states that a Brahmin cannot suffer so much physical pain. Only a kshattriya (the warrior tribe) can endure so much discomfort. Karnan is obliged to disclose his identity. Parasuram is greatly enraged, because he is a sworn enemy of kshattriyas. He therefore curses Karnan that as he had learnt through deceit, he shall forget the vidya (skill) which Parasuram had taught him at the crucial juncture.

Meanwhile, Karnan saves Subhangi (Devika) from an out-of-control chariot, and they fall for each other. However, Subhangi's parents disapprove of this because they don't want their daughter to marry someone who doesn't know about his own parents. However, after some time they accept, so Karnan and Subhangi are happily married. She gives birth to a son Vrishasena. Shortly before the Kurukshetra war, Lord Krishna (N. T. Rama Rao), a supporter of the Pandavas, finds out about Karnan's true background. He tells Kunti that Karnan is her first born son who she abandoned, she realizes it soon, and so does Karnan. He reconciles with his mother. Kunti gets a wish from Karnan that he will not attack anyone other than Arjun and he will attack Arjun only twice. However, Krishna goes against Karnan after this.

Parasuram's curse was to prove Karnan's undoing. At the Kurukshetra war, when facing Arjun, Karnan's son Vrishasena gets killed by Arjun upon Krishna's commands. This results in Subhangi and Karnan's dismay, making Karnan more determined to kill Arjun. The next day during war, Karnan forgets the Brahmastra Mantra taught to him by Parasuram. The wheels of his chariot sink in soft earth and he gets down to fix it. At that time, Arjun defeats him. Arjun shoots many arrows at the helpless Karnan, severely wounding him, but is curiously unable to kill him. Krishna tells him that the great Dharma of noble charity that Karnan had performed during his lifetime was protecting him. Krishna disguises as a Brahmin, goes to Karnan and asks him his virtues as donation. Karnan who cannot say no to anyone gives his virtues to the brahmin, then dies after Arjun shoots a few more arrows at him. The other Pandavas, who realize that Karnan was their eldest brother, arrive and are saddened by his death, so is Kunti. Arjun, struck by guilt, curses himself for killing Karnan. But Krishna reminds him that before the final battle, the curses that inflicted Karnan (eg: by Lord Indra and Parasuram) were also responsible for his death, and that there was no need for Arjun to blame just himself. The film however ends on a positive note, as Karnan is blessed when entering heaven.

Cast and Crew

"I’ve been extremely blessed to act with such a storehouse of talent. As I delivered my dialogue, Sivaji Ganesan was so moved that tears rolled down his cheeks. He called out ‘Cut’ and the scene had to be re-shot. Drawing me towards him after the shoot, he gave me Rs.1000 as a reward and gave me a hug. It was a memorable moment for me."

—"Master" Sridhar, to The Hindu

Cast

• Sivaji Ganesan as Karnan, the titular protagonist and eldest of the Pandavas. He is the son of Kunti and the son god Surya. He was born to Kunti before her marriage with Pandu, thus abandoned to prevent embarrasment. Karnan is the closest friend of Duryodhan and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war. Karnan fought against misfortune throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances.

• N. T. Rama Rao as Krishna. He reveals to Karnan that the latter is the eldest son of Kunti, and therefore, technically, the eldest Pandava. He asks Karnan to change sides, but he refuses because he has sworn fidelity to Duryodhan. Thus, Krishna is against Karnan during the Kurukshetra war, where he orders Arjun to kill both Karnan and his son.

• S. A. Ashokan as Duryodhan, Karnan's eternally best friend and the eldest of the Kauravas. When Karnan is insulted on account of his birth, Duryodhan defends him and makes him king of Anga so that he is regarded as Arjun's equal. Karnan pledges his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhan, as Duryodhan had rescued him from a source of continuing humiliation and hardship. Neither of them know that Karnan is in fact Kunti's oldest son.

• R. Muthuraman as Arjun, the third of the five Pandavas. He and Karnan form a terrible rivalry when Karnan seeks to avenge his humiliation by Arjun's guru and the princely order. During the Kurukshetra war, Karnan's chariot gets immobilized in soft earth and Karnan stops to fix the issue. That time, Arjun kills Karnan on Krishna's orders, not realizing that Karnan is his half-brother and is distraught when he realizes the truth.

• Devika as Subhangi, wife of Karnan. When she is trapped in an out-of-control chariot, Karnan saves her and they fall for each other. However, Subhangi's parents disapprove of this because they don't want their daughter to marry someone who doesn't know about his own parents. However, after some time they accept, so Karnan and Subhangi are happily married. She gives birth to a son Vrishasena.

• Savitri as Bhanumati, Duryodhan's wife. Karnan, being Duryodhan's close friend helps the latter to marry Bhanumati, who is the princess of Chitragandha.

• M. V. Rajamma as Kunti, the mother of Karnan and the elder three Pandavas. When young, she is taught a mantra, which will give her a son. Kunti does not believe it, so she tries to use it. The sun god Surya appears and Kunti asks him to go, but Surya said he is compelled to fulfill the mantra before returning. After the birth of the child (Karnan), Kunti abandons him and he is set afloat in the Ganges, before being discovered by a childless horse-carriage driver.

• "Master" Sridhar as Meghanathan. An young orphan, who after being accused of setting fire to a school, runs to Karnan seeking justice.

Crew

• Director: B. R. Panthulu
• Producer: B. R. Panthulu
• Writer: Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy
• Music: Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy
• Lyrics: Kannadasan
• Art Director: Ganga
• Cinematography: V. Ramamoorthy
• Editing: R. Devarajan
• Studio: Padmini Pictures

Production

Karnan is based on the life of the namesake warrior from the Indian epic Mahabharata, written by Lord Ganesh and dictated by Veda Vyasa. A magnum opus for its time, it was the first epic film in Tamil language to be shot in "opulent" locations such as the palaces of Jaipur. The film's art work, a mammoth task was done by Ganga, and the cinematography was handled by V. Ramamoorthy. While Sivaji Ganesan was cast as the titular character, and Telugu actor N. T. Rama Rao as Lord Krishna, a then six-year old actor Sridhar (known as "Master" Sridhar that time) was signed to play Meghanathan, an orphan who ran to Karnan's court, seeking justice. He was paid ₹1,000 (US$12) for his efforts. Reasons for the film's high cost were that huge moving chariots were made in Chennai and transported to Kurukshetra, where the war sequences were filmed. Permission from the government was sought, cavalry and infantry from the Indian Army were brought to the locations at Kurukshetra and the first rows of the charging armies on horses and elephants had soldiers from the Indian Army. When first released, Karnan was the first of the "mythology series of films" that made a comeback during the 1960s. It was an answer to the “rationalistic” dialogue that was catching up in the early 1950s and almost "drowned" the mythology genre — a trendsetter, even then.

Soundtrack

Untitled

The soundtrack consisting of 14 tracks, is composed by M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy, while Kannadasan penned the lyrics.

Tracklist

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Maharajan"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela	3:02
2.	"Iravum Pagalum"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela	3:46
3.	"Nilavum Malarum"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela	3:43
4.	"Ullathil Nalla Ullam"	Seerkazhi Govindarajan	3:50
5.	"Kangal Engey"	P. Susheela	4:52
6.	"Malai Kodukum"	Thiruchi Loganathan	6:54
7.	"Aayiram Karangal Neeti"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. B. Srinivas, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, Thiruchi Loganathan	1:27
8.	"En Uyir Thozhi"	P. Susheela	3:44
9.	"Manjal Mugam"	P. Susheela	4:23
10.	"Maranathai Enni"	Seerkazhi Govindarajan	3:03
11.	"Poi Vaa Magale"	Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi	3:44
12.	"Ennakoduppan"	P. B. Srinivas	1:31
13.	"Naanichivandhana"	Thiruchi Loganathan	1:14
14.	"Malargal Sutti"	P. Susheela	1:18
Total length:			43:5

Critical response

The soundtrack received generally positive reviews from critics. Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu said, "My interest in Karnan (apart from the critic's mandate that I see everything) was primarily the songs". Meera Srinivasan, another critic from The Hindu praised the film for the "music score and songs by the inimitable Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo with Kannadasan's striking lyrics". M. Suganth of The Times of India stated "The [film's] pacing is uneven, the complexities of the plot are overtly simplified, the songs are one too many (but what songs they are!)".

Release

Reception

Karnan has received mainly positive reviews. Ayngaran International called the film as "One of the all time great Indian Classics with a fantastic star cast and great acting". The Hindu stated that "Karnan, directed by B.R. Panthulu in 1964, is considered a classic for many reasons, including the stunning performances of Sivaji [Ganesan] as Karnan and N.T. Rama Rao as Lord Krishna, the powerful battlefield sequences and the music score and songs by the inimitable Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo with Kannadasan's striking lyrics". The Times of India gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, saying "You might find the chaste Tamil and over-the-top scenes difficult initially, but once you tune into to the rhythm of the film, you will end up saying, They don't make them like they used to."

Box office

Despite critical acclaim, Karnan did not do well at the box office during it's release. It was however declared a "super-hit" by both critics and the audiences.

"Karnan made a huge impact on me during my childhood. With the help of technology, I wanted to bring the film back to the big screens to give audiences a taste of the movie's grandeur and valuable message."

"Most of our films have become so damaged that we will never be able to see them on the big screen. A classic example is Thillana Mohanambal, whose prints have been totally damaged. I'm happy that I was able to save Karnan which I'm sure will last for 100 more years after this restoration."

—Shanthi Chokkalingam, to The Times of India

Awards

• The film won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil - Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film in 1964.

Re-release

A digitally restored version of Karnan (with digital enhancements and restored audio to enable its screening in digital cinemas) was released on 16 March 2012, to commemorate director B. R. Panthulu's birth centenary. Notably the first "Tamil classic" to be digitally restored, the mammoth efforts of re-releasing the film, which cost ₹40 lakh (US$48,000) and consumed three years of hard work, had been undertaken by film distributor Shanthi Chokkalin­gam. In an interview, he stated "The sound negative was totally gone and the five to six reels from the picture negative were damaged to a great extent". Thus, the film was released with DTS 5.1 surround sound, and visual improvements in 50 screens across Tamil Nadu. The restored version of Karnan was also very well received upon release, although the restoration process was criticized for being "far from perfect". According to trade exhibitors, this film collected ₹0.07 crore (US$8,400) in 4 weeks and was officially declared a success.

External links

• Karnan at IMDb