S L Bhyrappa, the bestselling Kannada author, taught philosophy for many years, and the conflict of tradition and modernity is a recurring theme in his novels. No one disputes his admirers' argument that his novels are very readably crafted, but many writers, including fellow-Mysorean U R Anantha Murthy, have often accused him of upholding decadent, brahminical values. In his autobiography, Bhyrappa accused Anantha Murthy (without naming him, but by dropping enough hints about his identity) of getting his house stoned! Their relationship would probably be counted among the grand rivalries of Kannada literature. For this piece, let's just say that Bhyrappa holds an unparalleled sway on the Kannada literary market, and  his works command a loyal readership in languages like Marathi as well.

Bhyrappa's Mathadana has now been filmed by T N Seetharam, director of the popular television serial Mayamruga. Stories are making the rounds of how Bhyrappa had to be persuaded hard before he agreed to give Seetharam the filming rights. Mathadana is produced by Aniketana Chitra, the same production house that made Kuvempu's Kanooru Heggaditi (directed by Girish Karnad). 

The fee Bhyrappa got for the rights, and Poornachandra Tejaswi got for his Jugari Cross, have been discussed in the newspapers. The two writers have taken the industry's breath away by demanding, and getting, a fee somewhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh a story. Why this should scandalise the film industry is of course a question outsiders may ask, especially when third-rate actors get many times as much.

Coming back to Mathadana, it stars Anant Nag, Devaraj and Tara.  Hemanth, who came to light in Seetharam's Mayamruga, also plays a major role.

The music is by C Ashwath and V Manohar. Ashwath is better known as a composer and singer of sugama sangeeta. For some years, he worked both independently and with L Vaidyanathan and made music for about 20 films. After that stint, he moved away for almost a decade, but returned again and has composed, in recent years, for six films, of which my favourite is Nagamandala. Manohar works both as music composer and lyricist, and is a popular choice in the Kannada film industry, second only to Hamsalekha.

Mathadana features eight tracks. Idu modalane haadu hego eno ariye is a cheerful love song, based on the Kirvani scale. I simply soaked up the silken violins that back up the singing. Long time since I had heard such unobtrusive, neat acoustic violins. The interludes are notas striking: they progress predictably, if you're familiar with Ashwath's bhavageete cassettes and the way interludes are usually done there. The poem, by V Manohar, muses about the soft uncertainies of love, like the question, "Am I saying the right thing?" It is sung by a thin-voiced Nandita and Rajesh Krishnan, who seems very strongly influenced by S P Balasubramanyam's style.