Shankar Guru (1978 film)

Shankar Guru
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	V. Somashekhar
Written by	Chi. Udayashankar (dialogue)
Screenplay by	M. D. Sundar
Produced by	Parvathamma Rajkumar
Starring	Rajkumar Jayamala Padmapriya
Cinematography	R. Madhusudan
Edited by	P. Bhaktavatsalam
Music by	Upendra Kumar
Production company	Dakshayini Combines
Release date	17 February 1978 (1978-02-17) [1]
Running time	179 minutes
Country	India
Language	Kannada
Box office	₹3.26 crores [2]

Shankar Guru is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language film directed by V. Somashekhar starring Rajkumar, Jayamala, Padmapriya and Kanchana. The supporting cast features Balakrishna, Vajramuni, Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Uma Shivakumar. Rajkumar appeared in a triple role in the film — as a father and his two sons separated in childhood.

The film is considered one of the best Kannada films of the 1970s and is seen as a milestone in the career of Rajkumar.^[3] It was remade in Tamil as Thirisoolam (1979), in Telugu as Kumara Raja (1978) and in Hindi as Mahaan (1983) in which, Rajkumar's characters were played by Sivaji Ganesan, Krishna and Amitabh Bachchan respectively.^[4] The movie was declared an "industry hit" at the box office since it grossed ₹3.26 crores after a 365 day run.^[5]

Plot[]

Rajashekhar's (Rajkumar) business partners arrive at his house on his birthday and wedding anniversary with a bouquet of flowers for his pregnant wife, Sumati, and arrange a meeting that evening. They announce their decision to smuggle idols of deities abroad, which Rajashekhar opposes, causing a rift between them killing one of them in the process. Pursued by police, he escapes with Sumathi, only to be stranded at the railway station with his wife being separated from him. Sumati has a baby boy, takes up painting and gets on with life.

Years roll by. Rajashekhar is living in Srinagar, Kashmir, as a wealthy estate owner named Jairaj. Sumati's son, Shankar, finds out about his father and also learns about his twin brother Guru. Thrilling sequences interspersed with comedy and romance make for a heady climax.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

• The film was a major success and completed a one-year run in theatres.^[6]
• Chi. Udayashankar, the dialogue-writer for the film, titled it Shankar Guru after his sons Ravishankar and Chi. Guru Dutt.
• At the 1977–78 Karnataka State Film Awards, P. Bhaktavatsalam was awarded the Best Editor.
• Shankar Guru was the debut production of Parvathamma Rajkumar under the banner Vajreshwari Combines.^[7][8]
• This was the second movie of Rajkumar after Kula Gourava in which he played a triple role.
• This is also the only colour movie in which he played a triple role.
• This was the first movie in which Prabhakar's character was called Tiger.
• This was actor Chandrashekhar's second movie with Rajkumar after Raja Nanna Raja.
• The Telugu version had the Kannada actress Jayanthi reprising Kanchana's role while Jaya Prada reprised the role of Padmapriya.
• The names of all the characters including the henchmen were retained in the Tamil version.^[9]
• During the making of the movie, the director S. K. Bhagavan narrated a story (tragic play) called Lithuania by Rupert Brooke (titled The Return of the Soldier in Russian) to Rajkumar. The film was planned to be shot in Ladakh and some preparation was undertaken, but in the end Rajkumar backed out as he felt the story was too dark. 40 years later, the story was adapted into a movie titled Aa Karaala Ratri (2018).^[10]

Soundtrack[]

The film music was composed by Upendra Kumar with lyrics for the soundtrack by Chi. Udaya Shankar.

Awards[]

1977–78 Karnataka State Film Awards

• Best Editor – P. Bhaktavatsalam

References[]

External links[]

• Shankar Guru at IMDb