Samskara (film)

Samskara
Directed byPattabhirama Reddy
Screenplay byPattabhirama Reddy
Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (also executive director)
Story byU. R. Ananthamurthy
Dialogue by
Produced byPattabhirama Reddy[1]
Starring
CinematographyTom Cowan
Edited by
  • Steven Cartaw
  • Vasu
Music byRajeev Taranath
Distributed byRama Manohara Chitra
Release date
  • 1970 (1970)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Budget₹90,000[2]

Samskara (English title: Funeral Rites) is a 1970 Indian Kannada-language film written by U. R. Ananthamurthy based on his eponymous novel, and directed and produced by Pattabhirama Reddy.[3] Singeetam Srinivasa Rao was executive director for the film.[4] It is considered a path-breaking film that pioneered the parallel cinema movement in Kannada. Samskara won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film (1970).[1]

The word samskara means "ritual" in Kannada.[3][5][6] The Madras Censor Board banned Samskara because it was felt that the strong anti-caste message of the film could spark tensions among the public. The ban was revoked by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.[7][8] The film was released and it went on to win awards at national and international levels.

  1. ^ a b "18th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference toi1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "End of a path-breaking journey". The Deccan Herald. 16 May 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  4. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  5. ^ S Kalidas and Rehmat Merchant. "Renaissance Man". Online Edition of the India Today, dated 1999-04-12. Living Media India Ltd. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  6. ^ "35th National Film Festival" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  7. ^ Parvathi Menon. "The multi-faceted playwright". Frontline, Vol. 16, No. 3, Jan. 30-Feb. 12, 1999. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  8. ^ "A Film and its Censorship". The Indian Express. 3 January 1970. p. 10. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2017.