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Exactly 89 years ago, in 1943, the first Kannada talkie film Sati Sulochana was released in theatres on March 3 to start an industry, which, after almost nine decades, has marked its footprint in the world. The film is a significant part of the Kannada film legacy. Sati Sulochana, produced by Shah Chamanlal Doongaji, generated enormous interest among the people with many even from small towns and villages having visited Bengaluru in bullock carts to watch it. Let’s know more about the film.
Sati Sulochana witnessed many firsts, it was also the first film to be screened in the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. According to a few archival agencies, actor R Nagendra Rao, who is also known as the father of Kannada Cinema, sincerely endeavoured to conceive a full-fledged Kannada talkie. He even tried to bring Ardeshir Irani who was behind the making of Alam Aara on board for the film but the latter declined because he reportedly thought the Kannada market was small at that time.
Nagendra Rao knocked on several doors for funding to make the film and at that time he met Chamanlal Doongaji, a Marwari merchant who was keen on producing the film but bore no support from artists. Chamanlal and Shah Bhurmal Chamanlalji who owned the production company named South India Movietone at the time approached Yaragudipati Varada Rao in 1932 to direct the film based on the Ramayana.
Bellave Narahari Shastri wrote the screenplay of the film and the shooting was completed over a period of two months at a studio in Kolhapur with a budget of Rs 40,000. It was first released in Paramount Theatre in Bengaluru.
Sati Sulochana featured Subbaiah Naidu, Tripuramba, R Nagendra Rao, Lakshmi Bai, CV Seshachalam, DA Murthy Rao and SK Padmadevi in prominent roles. YV Rao played the role of Lakshmana in the film. Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba were the first lead actors in the Kannada film.
As per reports, the film had 18 songs which graciously told the story. Now, a gramophone record jacket has been found in the private archive of writer Vijaya Subbaraj whose father Seetharam reportedly worked with the production house of Sati Sulochana. The record revealed that the film did not have 18 songs but 30 tracks in total.
A few years ago, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy declared March 3 as Kannada Cinema Day.
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