Jedara Bale

Jedara Bale
Promotional poster
Directed byDorai–Bhagavan
Written byDorai–Bhagavan
Produced byT. P. Venugopal
StarringRajkumar
Jayanthi
K.S. Ashwath
Narasimharaju
Udayakumar
CinematographyB. Dorairaj
R. Chittibabu
Edited byN. C. Rajan
Raghupathi
Music byG. K. Venkatesh
Distributed byManthralaya Movies
Release date
  • 12 January 1968 (1968-01-12)
Running time
139 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada

Jedara Bale (transl. Spider's Web) is a 1968 Indian Kannada-language spy thriller film directed by Dorai–Bhagavan starring Rajkumar, Jayanthi, K. S. Ashwath, Narasimharaju and Udayakumar. The music of the film was composed by G. K. Venkatesh with Ilayaraja as the assistant.

The film is the first movie in the CID 999 Franchise created along the lines of the James Bond and James Bond – styled films.[1] The success of this movie led to three sequels – Goa Dalli CID 999, Operation Jackpot Nalli C.I.D 999 and Operation Diamond Racket.[2][3]

This was the first James Bond – styled spy thriller movie in India in a full-fledged manner.[4][5][6] Rajkumar was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner.[7][8][9]

Bhagwan made the film after going through 11 books on James Bond. The movie was made with a budget of fewer than 3 lakhs, and the makers recovered 2 lakhs from the sale of dubbing rights alone.[10]

This movie is credited to have inspired a desi Bond genre in a full-fledged manner leading to Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam film industries attempting to replicate the Kannada spy movie genre, though there were vague attempts earlier in those industries.[11] The grand success of this movie led to serious attempts in other south Indian languages with top stars – Jaishankar in Tamil; Krishna in Telugu and Prem Nazir in Malayalam.[12] It was also the first south Indian movie to use the miniature faking technique for a car blasting sequence. This was also the first film of Rajkumar which did not have a male playback singer.

The CID 999 Franchise was the first Indian movie franchise to have four installments [12][13] and was the first character based trilogy in India. The Hindi media Amar Ujala called Rajkumar the James Bond of India.[14][15] In 2020, Film Companion praised it for being a plot-driven movie which was more than just over-the-top gimmickry due to which the suspense works even after 52 years of its release.[16] The movie is considered to be a gamechanger in the career of Rajkumar[17] and is credited to have brought a characteristic shift in Kannada cinema.[13]

  1. ^ "Kannada film director SK Bhagavan dies on 94th birthday". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Jedara Bale (1968) Kannada movie". chiloka.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  3. ^ "History 49 - James Bond Style In Kannada". chitraloka.com. 16 September 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. ^ "ನಟಿ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಬದುಕು 15ನೇ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲೇ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವಾಗಿತ್ತು - ಡಾ. ರಾಜ್ ಚಿತ್ರ-ಜೀವನ ಯಾನ-Part 10-Dore Bhagawan". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021.
  5. ^ "On Rajkumar's 88th birth anniversary, 10 must-know facts about Karnataka's beloved star". 24 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Dr Rajkumar". Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Versions of James Bond in Kannada". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Google doodle honours late veteran Kannada actor Rajkumar on 88th birth anniversary". 24 April 2017. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Google honours veteran Kannada actor Rajkumar with a doodle on his 88th birth anniversary". 24 April 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Kalanamana to Jedara Bale Bhagwan – Kannada News". 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  11. ^ "When Rajkumar went by the name 'Agent 999'". Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Feluda To Sethurama Iyer: India's Best Detectives In Film & Fiction – Silverscreen.in". Silverscreen.in. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Class Act: Five essential Dorai-Bhagavan films that one must watch". The Times of India. 5 July 2021. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Rajkumar Birthday: जब भारतीय सिनेमा के 'जेम्स बॉन्ड' को वीरप्पन ने कर लिया था अगवा, 108 दिनों बाद हुई थी रिहाई". Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  15. ^ M, Shashiprasad S. (17 April 2023). "Popular characters that inspired superhit film series in Kannada". The South First. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Best Kannada Thrillers from Different Eras Now Available on OTT". 24 September 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Rajkumar death anniversary: When 'Annavru' floored Chiranjeevi with his humility". Deccan Herald. 12 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.