Grihabhanga

Credits

Language : Kannada
Story : S.L. Bhyrappa
Director : Girish Kasaravalli

Title Song and Music

Music : C. Aswath
Lyrics :Dodda Range Gowda
Playback:Smt.Ratnamala Prakash

Principal cast

*Malavika Avinash
*Lakshmi Chandrashekar
*Shivaram
*Lohitashva
*Achyuta Kumar
*Usha Bhandari
*Shantamma
*Vidya MurtyGrihabhanga is a TV series directed by Girish Kasaravalli.

The novel

Narrating the story of the novel would take at least 10 pages. The following is just a glimpse into the novel's plot.
Grihabhanga is a critically acclaimed novel by S.L. Bhyrappa. The novel is one of the most popular works by the writer and has been translated to 14 languages. As the author himself puts it, the novel is a treatise on life written by life itself. On the outside Grihabhanga deals with the life of Nanjamma, the protagonist and the hardships she suffers through her life. Although the novel proceeds as a straight narrative describing the life of Nanjamma, it raises many questions regarding life and human behaviour. The novel proceeds as a dialogue involving the reader in the subtle yet powerful discussions and rational questions that form a major portion of the story. Its gripping narration, endearing characters and a powerful plot element have made Grihabhanga one of the all time classics in Kannada.

Plot Summary:

Grihabhanga is the story of an accountant family in a village in Karnataka during the pre independence period. Gangamma is a widow living with her sons who are yet to come of age. The village head is taking care of the accounts until her eldest son is ready to take over. When the eldest Chennigaraya comes of age, the head unwillingly parts with the responsibility. But Chennigaraya, not very bright, finds the family occupation difficult to manage. Things change when Chennigaraya is married to Nanjamma, the only daughter of Kanthi Joyisa, a respectable Brahmin from a neighbouring village. Nanjamma is a beautiful girl, intelligent and blessed with virtues. But Chennigaraya in contrast is a lazy and insensitive man. To worsen Nanjamma's situation, she receives no sympathy or affection from Gangamma or Chennigaraya's younger brother Appanna. Nanjamma finds a companion when Appanna marries Savithri. But Savithri too faces the same dilemma as Nanjamma as Appanna is also like his brother.
The above paragraph accounts for the first part of the novel and sums up roughly a tenth of the novel's bulk. Grihabhanga is a novel with myriad plots and subplots. It just opens up life with all its beauty. Nothing is said about any incident. No interpretations are made by the author while writing. Its just like a painting that leaves the passerby mesmerized by its sheer beauty. It makes us think. We start thinking about the novel, the questions that were raised in there. The rest of the novel deals mainly with the life of Nanjamma and lives of people around her. Hence it would be wrong to say that Grihabhanga is the story of Nanjamma. It is a story of a group of people during the pre independence period in India. More aptly, it is the story of how life goes on for some people and how they face it.

Characters

*Nanjamma - The daughter in law of Gangamma and the wife of Chennigaraya. She is the protagonist of the story.
*Gangamma - The widow of the village accountant and mother of Chennigaraya and Appanna.
*Ayyanavaru - The local saint of the village.
*Chennigaraya - The eldest son of Gangamma and the husband of Nanjamma.
*Appanna - The second son of Gangamma.
*Savithri - The wife of Appanna
*Kanthi Joyisa - The father of Nanjamma.
*Ajji - Nanjamma's grandmother.
*Kalleshi - Nanjamma's elder brother.
*Kamali - Kalleshi's wife.
*Narsi - The village prostitute.
*Sathakka - Nanjamma's friend.
*Parvati - Nanjamma's eldest daughter.
*Ramanna - Nanjamma's eldest son.
*Vishwa - Nanjamma's second son.
*Gunde Gowda - The village head.

Highlights

*Grihabhanga is a complex novel. The experience of reading it cannot be described in words. Adapting such a celebrated work to the small screen was a very difficult task. But the T V series was highly successful. It was telecast on E Tv Kannada on Saturdays.
*Grihabhanga is a period story. The TV series effectively recreated the period with all its original feel and fragrance.

Actors and Performances

The Tv Series featured some of the major stars of the television. Malavika Avinash who played the role of Nanjamma proved her worth as a versatile actress. She was seen earlier donning the role of a feminist in Seetharam's 'Mayamriga'. She had to change her body language completely to impart justice to her role. Lakshmi Chandrashekar as Gangamma won the Aryabhata award for her role. The series also introduced Achyuta Kumar to the television world. All the artistes in the series, who played different roles in other teleserials, worked very hard to mould themselves to the complex storyline. The majot credit for the success of the series must be attributed to the director. Girish Kasaravalli effectively converted the novel to a gripping screenplay and brought the spirit of the novel onto the celluloid. The title song by Sri.Dodda Rage Gowda, its music composition by C.Aswath and playback singing by Smt.Ratnamala Prakash added to the success of the teleserial.

Awards and Screenings

*Lakshmi Chandrashekar who played the role of Gangamma received the Aryabhata award for Best Actress for her role in the series.

Trivia

*In the original novel, Kanthi Joyisa asks Ayyanavaru to take away Vishwa with him. But the TV seral showed Vishwa being taken away by Ayyanavaru and Kanthi Joyisa searching for the lost Vishwa.
*Grihabhanga was shot in and around Channapatna taluk.