Hamsageethe: Standing the test of time

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hamsageethe, a landmark movie in the history of Kannada cinema. Lead actors Ananth Nag and Rekha Rao talk about the film

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. 

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.

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, 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.”