Ranadheera Kanteerava

<p>In 1637, the is ruled by . However, his inefficiency in administration and womanizing ways have led to Vikramaraya serving as the de facto ruler. Vikramaraya inadvertently poisons the Maharaja to death through Thimmaja Ammani. He then appoints wrestler and the deceased Maharaja’s cousin , as the new ruler, intending to control him as a puppet. Kanteerava is a benevolent ruler and is compassionate towards his subjects. He first rules that they pay only a small part of their agricultural income as tax, replacing the existing share of half their income. Upon learning about the poor economic condition of the kingdom, he orders that a new currency made out of gold be using the royal jewelry. He appoints his friend Nirisha as prime minister. Vikramaraya, realizing that Kanteerava cannot be controlled, hatches a plan to have him killed through the kingdom’s servants. However, the plan backfires, and Vikramaraya is assassinated instead.Years pass and news reaches Kanteerava that a wrestler, Veeramalla, from , in the neighbouring kingdom, has hung his wrestling at the gate of the city. Anyone entering the city must either pass underneath it in humiliation or fight him in a wrestling match. Kanteerava decides to confront Veeramalla and reaches the city in disguise. He defeats Veeramalla and even an elephant, much to the surprise of the people. Doddi, a at a temple in , desires to learn from the hesitant music teacher Vishwanatha Shastry. Shastry believes music should be practiced for the benefit of the state and not for entertainment or other purposes. He relents after Doddi promises that she will neither marry nor give in to lust. Kanteerava learns of Doddi’s beauty and secretly leaves his palace every night to meet her in disguise. The two fall in love and marry. One of Kanteerava’s fathers-in-law is convinced that Doddi is plotting to have him killed, a notion planted in his mind by the now Dalavayi, Nanjaraja. Nanjaraja is conspiring with Senduraimalla, the brother of Veeramalla to kill Kanteerava. Kanteerava narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by killing his attackers, and issues an order to banish Doddi, suspecting her involvement in the plot. However, Upon learning of her innocence, he rushes to find her, only to discover that she has committed suicide. (1638 – 1659) popularly known as Ranadheera Kantheerava was an emperor in the royal Mysuru dynasty. He was a man of immense physical strength and was known as an intense wrestler in the Kingdom. He was an exponent in a form of wrestling called . He was also a musician with a strong liking towards arts and literature. He used the town as his capital. Soon after his death in 1659, all his 10 wives committed and ended their lives. This film is credited to have spurred the Kannada cinema industry in the direction of historicals. This was produced as a joint venture under at a time when the Kannada cinema industry was facing severe financial crises and its enormous success is reported to have not only re-instilled confidence in the Kannada cinema industry but inspired other historicals in quick succession. Even today, it stands as a sort of guidepost to making compelling historical dramas in Kannada. The chief merit of Ranadheera Kanteerva is the level of authenticity in several key aspects. The first is the Kannada language used during Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar’s days – both by the royalty and the common people. To a keen student of the inflections that Kannada has undergone, this forms a useful study. Equally authentic are the depictions of the protocol, manners, customs, and traditions of palace life. The movie also brings out a few nuances of palace intrigue, tangentially touches upon some aspects of the administrative machinery and the system of espionage by weaving them together in a rather dramatic fashion.<br /> This level of detail was made possible due to extensive research and first hand knowledge of the Mysore palace life that the film’s writer Sri G.V. Iyer possessed. soundtrack consists of 7 songs all composed by and written by .</p>