Revisiting Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane and Mane, Naseeruddin Shah's striking appearances in Kannada Cinema

The 1970s, in particular, remain a watershed period in the history of Indian cinema. One saw a renaissance of a kind emerge by virtue of parallel or off-beat cinema (aside from the many other acronyms) and Kannada cinema was in the thick of this wave of change. There was a strong sense of bonhomie between the Kannada and Hindi Film Industries at the time with the likes of Anant Nag, Girish Karnad, B.V. Karanth, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and many other featuring as prominent names in this cultural exchange. A film that perfectly enunciated this collaborative zest is the 1977 Kannada film Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane or Godhuli, starring Om Puri, Naseerduddin Shah, and others with Karnad and Karanth sharing the directorial credits.

Based on the S.L. Bhyarappa novel of the same, Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane explored themes of alienation and cultural disparities between the Indian and western socities. The film featured American actress Paula Lindsay as one of its main protagonists whose stay in a tiny Karnataka village causes the locals to feel threatened and concerned about the impending globalization: Naseeruddin Shah’s portrayal of Venkataramana Shastri in the film, a congenial and righteous village priest, fetched him many accolades and praise as he was able to effortlessly transform his nuance to the local Kannada milieu.

In fact, Shah strived hard to get every detail of his performance right and is said to have spent a lot of time trying to master his Kannada accent. Sharing the experiences of shooting for the film in Mysuru, he says that despite his efforts, the delivery of the Kannada lines was poor by his standards which urged the directors to use a dubbing artist. Naseeruddin Shah refers to the same and more in his riveting memoir And Then One Day.

But Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane isn't his only stint in Kannada cinema. The thespian would collaborate with his Film and Television Institute (FTII) batchmate Girish Kasaravalli about ten years later for the compelling drama film Mane (reshot simultaneously in Hindi as Ek Ghar). The film, also starring Deepti Naval and Rohini Hattangadi, explored themes of urbanization and its ghastly impacts on the working class: although Naseeruddin Shah delivered a superb performance in Mane, it is said that he was disillusioned with the idea of crafty or experimental cinema by the time of its making and, as confessed by Kasaravalli himself, the actor lacked the necessary desire or love that the role required.

On the other hand, Naseeruddin Shah continues to remain closely attached to the city of Bengaluru through his theatre productions. The actor has delivered many iconic stage performances in the city and has treated the local aficionados to a wide range of adaptations that include Ismat Chugtai, Saadat Hasan Manto, and Florian Zeller.