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Muthina Haara
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Wikipedia article
'Muttina Haara' is a 1990 Indian Kannada-language war-drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu. It stars Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini Maniratnam in the lead roles. K. S. Ashwath, Kavya and Ramkumar feature in supporting roles. The film speaks of the toll of warfare on a soldier's family. A portion of the core plot of the film is partially based on Ernest Hemingway's novel, 'A Farewell to Arms'.
Plot
Achchappa, serving as a jawan in the British Indian Army, is injured while the World war II is raging. He is tended to by a nurse, Lieutenant Annapurna. She also hails from the same region in Karnataka as he, Coorg. They fall in love with each other and get married after the end of the war. Achchappa returns to work leaving Annapurna, who has now quit her job, with her in-laws; father-in-law Belliappa has retired as a havaldar. Annapurna gives birth to a son, Veeraraju, but childbirth complications lead to her uterus being removed to save her life, leaving her unable to bear another child.
In 1952, Achchappa stationed in Korea, is transferred to India's Rajasthan. Having been away from home for a few years now, he longs to see his young son. His wife and son travel to meet him in Rajasthan's desert, where he currently stationed. An airstrike by the enemy takes Veeraraju's life before Achchappa gets to see him. Achchappa and Annapurna are aggrieved; Annapurna rejoins the army as a nurse. Despite her insistence, Achchappa refuses to remarry for the sake of having another child. They remain faithful to each other as years pass by. They also ensure that their parents back home are not made known about their son's death.
Achchappa, now a Major, trains young cadets in the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. Not having met him and his family for over ten years, his aged parents come over to see them. A guilt-ridden Annapurna reveals to them about their son's death and Achchappa's unwell mother dies from the shock. Meanwhile, another war has broken out and Achchappa is sent to India's snow-covered border region with his troop. His troop and he are captured by the enemy and taken to their territory, and are tortured to reveal a certain military secret. However, Achchappa refuses to give in and endures the pain inflicted. In his troop is a young and promising soldier, Naik Mohan, who Achappa treats as his son. The two manage to escape into India's territory but are mortally wounded. Achappa dies there while his protg dies in the army hospital, before revealing to Annapurna, now a Major, about the former's death. Achchappa is given a state funeral back home, while Annapurna loses her sanity.
Cast
* Vishnuvardhan as Achchappa
* Suhasini Maniratnam as Annapurna
* K. S. Ashwath as Belliappa
* Ramkumar as Naik Mohan
* Master Anand as Veeraraju
* Prakash Raj as a jawan
* Sihi Kahi Chandru as Menasinakai, barber
* Sadashiva Brahmavar as Chengappa, Annapurna's father
* Kavya
* Mukhyamantri Chandru
Theme
The title, meaning a string of pearls, stands for what Achappa promises his wife; every year he buys a pearl and gives it to her with the hope that one day she can make a necklace of it. She does get her pearl necklace complete only to have it broken at Achappa's funeral. The movie depicts how war affects a soldier's life and his family. The film opens with a scene where Hitler is shown giving a speech. The backdrop is the Second World War in which Achappa the soldier is abroad fighting. When his young son becomes a casualty in another war (in 1947, against invading Pakistan) the mother buries him in the sand dunes while vultures hover overhead. While the soldier and his wife pass by the same spot the mother runs to uncover the corpse but Achappa stops her, hence the father never gets to see his son. The film ends with the funeral of the soldier at the time of the India-China War and his wife becoming insane. Skeletons riding horseback through the darkness are shown at the start and the end of the movie. This is a metaphor for the ravages of war. The movie is not just a family saga but it depicts a larger dimension, it shows the devastating effects of war. Imperialists start the war for their own greed but ultimately it is the people who suffer. Director Rajendra Singh Babu has conveyed a strong message - stop the war.
Soundtrack
Hamsalekha composed the music for the film and the soundtracks, also writing the lyrics for all the soundtracks. The album has five soundtracks.
Awards and recognition
;38th National Film Awards
* Best Feature Film in Kannada Rajendra Singh Babu
;199091 Karnataka State Film Awards
* First Best Film Rajendra Singh Babu
* Best Supporting Actor K. S. Ashwath
* Best Cinematographer D. V. Rajaram
;38th Filmfare Awards South
* Best Actress Kannada Suhasini Maniratnam
;1991 International Film Festival of India
* Screened in mainstream section
References
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