Dharmadhikarige Jai… Dharmadhikarige Jai…
Dharrrmmaadhikarige Jai…. Dharrrrmmmaadhikarige Jai!
A refrain that remains fresh in memory from one of the classiest Kannada movies ever made. I was tweleve when I first watched Accident on TV. It was telecast as part of the mostly-boring “Award-winning movies” charade on Sunday afternoon on Doordarshan.
The only experiences that remain from that age are the refrain and a sort of chill that persisted for days. The chill resurfaced when I watched it last night, but without the same intensity.
Accident was a trendsetter in many ways than I can recount in this space. Made in 1985, the movie stands out for its realistic depiction of corruption and the hopeless struggle against it. The movie simply stops after raising questions: the viewer is left to find answers, a rare achievement by that genius of a director, Shankar Nag.
The plot is unbelievably simple, which I think, is one of the main reasons for its success. A powerful politician’s son and his friend, son of an Ad agency owner live the wild life. Both are drug addicts, a consequence of parental negligence. One night, in a drug-induced euphoria, they mow down several people sleeping on the pavement killing all except one.
A cop and a journalist investigate this case. The journalist, essayed brilliantly by Shankar Nag, treads the forbidden path. Meanwhile, Dharmadhikari, the junkie’s politician-father returns to the city and steps in immediately, to “protect” his son. He sends the cop, Mr.Rao on “leave.” He gets presents his illiterate servant as the culprit who caused the accident.
I won’t reveal anything else.
Accident is perhaps the first film that presented the politician-media nexus uncomfortably close to reality. It showed also, for the first time, how easy it is for people in power to manipulate the law in any manner they choose. Shankar Nag succeeds in imprinting a pessimistic message: to struggle against it is not only impossible but futile. He puts these words in the cop’s mouth: “Don’t try to pound a wall that is impossible to break.“
The movie’s screenplay is its greatest strength. Background music is ruthlessly stripped: the only sounds you can hear in no specific order are, car tyres screeching, television blaring, an overturned metallic bucket creaking, bullets sliding inside a pistol, a typewriter clacking, a camera clicking, a dog barking, feet running, conversation, laughter, screaming, cheering, and silence. Shankar Nag never devotes a second more than what is required for a scene. I suspect Ram Gopal Varma has taken several leaves out of Nag’s book. Accident infuses heavy doses of realism. Deepak, the killer on the fateful night stops at a medical store to buy Mandrax. The Wikipedia entry on Mandrax states that
Smoking marijuana laced with methaqualone has become a major problem in South Africa, rivalling crack cocaine as the most abused hard drug…. When smoked, usually mixed with marijuana, it causes an intensely euphoric rush.
The actual “accident” shot that follows this purchase is both a logical consequence and one of the best action scenes. It still is hard to watch the scene without flinching. Shot at night, Nag has made brilliant use of light, darkness, and blood to imprint the gruesome act indelibly in our minds.
Dharmadhikari, played with sinister coolness by Anant Nag, wins in the end but pays a price for it. Watch the movie to learn what the price is.
It’s a pity Shankar Nag is dead.
Cross-posted on Desicritics
Tags: Films, Society & Culture
Dear Sandeep,
“Accident” still remains one of my favourite movies. Have you seen his other masterpiece, “Ondu Muttina Kathe”, starring Dr. Rajkumar. Its the story of a fisherman, who discovers a valuable pearl in the sea and how his life is dramatically changed after the incident. Although, the movie bombed at the box office, I believe it can easily rank among the classiest movies of Kannada cinema
Did Shankar Nag also not die because of a drunk driving accident? I remember this vaguely. Correct me if I am wrong.
[...] I simply think he made, and acted in some amazing movies that beg to be talked about in more detail. I’ve already reviewed one of these. [...]
[...] The film is especially noteworthy for Devaraj’s performance. His pockmarked face, highlighted by several close-up shots highlight his villainy, is backed equally by stellar acting skills. The torture scenes in the film are pretty graphic even by today’s standards–the movie was released in 1987–and it takes some effort not to squirm while watching those scenes. Shankar Nag displays his usual prowess though not in the same class as Ondanondu Kaladalli or Accident. In retrospect, he seems to have deliberately underplayed his role as an avenging lover, a symphathetic listener of Vanita Vasu’s travails, and a man on run. Tarka also broke lot of rules in a generally-conservative Kannada film industry, which had grown up on a staple diet of Rajkumar movies by showing plenty of skin. Desai didn’t shy away from showing that lovemaking is generally done in the nude. This at once earned him notoriety among the moral cops and womens’ organizations, who instantly branded his movies as “cheap” and “vulgar.” After you finish watching the movie, you’ll recall anything but the “sex” scenes. You find what you look for. [...]