Babhruvahana
asi...@my-deja.com
Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi blogs about the Kannada film
"Babhruvahana" and its songs:
http://www.landoflime.com/archives/kannada/dr-raj-kumar-babhruvahana-3-1977/
That was part 3.
Previous write-ups (Parts 1 and 2) on the same topic:
http://www.landoflime.com/archives/kannada/babhruvahana-1977/
Cheers
Arun
rm
> Hi,
>
> Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi blogs about the Kannada film
> "Babhruvahana" and its songs:
>
> http://www.landoflime.com/archives/kannada/dr-raj-kumar-babhruvahana-3-1977/
Thanks for the link Arun. Excellent write-up. If I may nitpick, that
line is "phada phada shikhandi endadigadige nudiya bedalo moodha" and I
would probably translate "aksheena balano" as one with infinite
strength.
Nice blog overall too. Typical Mysore thinking shows in every word.
dp
asi...@my-deja.com
rm wrote:
>
> Thanks for the link Arun. Excellent write-up. If I may nitpick, that
> line is "phada phada shikhandi endadigadige nudiya bedalo moodha" and I
> would probably translate "aksheena balano" as one with infinite
> strength.
>
> Nice blog overall too. Typical Mysore thinking shows in every word.
>
> dp
The writer (of the blog) is a post-doc at the Univ of Chicago.
See http://www.aasianst.org/absts/2005abst/South/s-180.htm
and this book (he is the advisory editor)
http://www.hindu.com/lr/2005/12/04/stories/2005120400180400.htm
Also, http://salrc.uchicago.edu/resources/fonts/kannadafonts.html
Cheers
Arun
yeskay
> asi...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi blogs about the Kannada film
>>"Babhruvahana" and its songs:
>>
>>http://www.landoflime.com/archives/kannada/dr-raj-kumar-babhruvahana-3-1977/
>
>
> Thanks for the link Arun. Excellent write-up. If I may nitpick, that
> line is "phada phada shikhandi endadigadige nudiya bedalo moodha" and I
> would probably translate "aksheena balano" as one with infinite
> strength.
If I may nitpick your nitpick, it is "nudiya bedo moodha". I am sure
they wouldn't do street talk in a mythological movie :)
I remember all the dialogues and lines of the movie. This particular
song has been played (I am sure even now) on radio innumerable times.
My folks had then pointed out RK's hypocrisy in choosing PBS for
Arjuna's lines and sang Babruvahana's lines himself. He could safely
call the other person Napunsaka, Shikandhi etc., without his fans
getting enraged (and harmed PBS and Bengaluru's ;) buildings also) over
this issue.
>
> Nice blog overall too. Typical Mysore thinking shows in every word.
>
> dp
>
Very true. Thanks for the blog-hunting Arun.
asi...@my-deja.com
yeskay wrote:
> I remember all the dialogues and lines of the movie. This particular
> song has been played (I am sure even now) on radio innumerable times.
> My folks had then pointed out RK's hypocrisy in choosing PBS for
> Arjuna's lines and sang Babruvahana's lines himself. He could safely
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Btw, that is how I used to pronounce the name. Babru instead of Babhru.
(B vs Bh). However, I retained the spelling written by the author of
the blog. What is the correct spelling anyway?
Yeskay, DP, Ashok, Balaji, Shree...?
Also, I recall reading the name of his mother as Uloopi, but in the
film version it is Uluchi. Why the difference?
Cheers
Arun
yeskay
> yeskay wrote:
>
>
>>I remember all the dialogues and lines of the movie. This particular
>>song has been played (I am sure even now) on radio innumerable times.
>>My folks had then pointed out RK's hypocrisy in choosing PBS for
>>Arjuna's lines and sang Babruvahana's lines himself. He could safely
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Btw, that is how I used to pronounce the name. Babru instead of Babhru.
> (B vs Bh). However, I retained the spelling written by the author of
> the blog. What is the correct spelling anyway?
>
http://www.chirag-entertainers.com/images/Copy%20of%20Babru2.jpg
http://www.udbhava.com/udbhava/images/babruvahana.jpg
Even in Kannada it is spelt as B and not as Bh.
Ashok
>
>Btw, that is how I used to pronounce the name. Babru instead of Babhru.
>(B vs Bh). However, I retained the spelling written by the author of
>the blog. What is the correct spelling anyway?
>
>Yeskay, DP, Ashok, Balaji, Shree...?
I haven't had a chance to see the film. Let me see
if I can remedy that one of these days.
The usage in the film is erroneous. It is "babhruvaahana".
There doesn't seem to a word "babru", but there is "babhru".
As usual in Sanskrit, it has many meanings, including:
fire, a kind of mongoose, reddish-brown.
>Also, I recall reading the name of his mother as Uloopi, but in the
>film version it is Uluchi. Why the difference?
>
>Cheers
>Arun
>
Prithvi himself points out the discrepancy toward the end
of part 1:
<<
(this should be Ulupi in fact, but in the film she is
called Uluci, which I shall follow here),
>>
Yes, it should be "uluupii".
Note, however, that babhruvaahan's mother is not uluupii,
but chitraa.ngadaa, the princess of Manipur. She is the
charioteer for arjuna in the battle with babhruvaahana.
It is made clear in the series of articles, by the way.
uluupii is the naagakanyaa. Her son with arjuna is "iraavaan".
Her father, "naagaraaja kauravya", was the one who got
"ga.ngaa" to relax her curse on arjuna. And she is the
one who guides babhruvaahana to the m^Ritasa.njiivanii
that revives arjuna.
In what was supposed to be the year of celebacy, arjuna
got himself three wives! (uluupii, chitraa.ngadaa, subhadraa).
The babhruvaahana episode is some story, I'll say! Wonder
if it is the inspiration for Rustom-Sohrab.
Thanks for pointing us the the blogs.
(They're nice. Do read them! :))
Ashok
asi...@my-deja.com
> (this should be Ulupi in fact, but in the film she is
> called Uluci, which I shall follow here),
> >>
>
> Yes, it should be "uluupii".
>
> Note, however, that babhruvaahan's mother is not uluupii,
> but chitraa.ngadaa, the princess of Manipur. She is the
> charioteer for arjuna in the battle with babhruvaahana.
<snipped>
> Thanks for pointing us the the blogs.
> (They're nice. Do read them! :))
LOL. I realised my mistake as soon as I sent the post in which I called
Uloopi as "his mother." By then it was too late and I hoped no sharp
eyes like yours would notice. :-)
Also, thanks to yeskay for the pics of the posters. I was so busy
engrossed with the article that I failed to notice that one of the
posters was linked in the blog-post itself.
Cheers
Arun
rm
> If I may nitpick your nitpick, it is "nudiya bedo moodha". I am sure
hmm. have to check. "bedo" doesn't sound right.
> My folks had then pointed out RK's hypocrisy in choosing PBS for
> Arjuna's lines and sang Babruvahana's lines himself. He could safely
> call the other person Napunsaka, Shikandhi etc., without his fans
> getting enraged (and harmed PBS and Bengaluru's ;) buildings also) over
> this issue.
Yes, I had heard some people make that comment at the time, but I
thought Rajkumar's voice for the younger Babhruvahana and PBS for
Arjuna was the right combination. Can't imagine it the other way round.
dp
Shree
> >>
> > Thanks for the link Arun. Excellent write-up. If I may nitpick, that
> > line is "phada phada shikhandi endadigadige nudiya bedalo moodha" and I
> > would probably translate "aksheena balano" as one with infinite
> > strength.
>
> If I may nitpick your nitpick, it is "nudiya bedo moodha". I am sure
> they wouldn't do street talk in a mythological movie :)
>
That is definitely "nudiya bedelo moodha".
I recently watched 'mayabazaar' (kannada dub) and 'babhru..' back to
back, and comparatively, I was quite dissappointed by 'babhru..'. ;
mayabazaar is a far slicker film
Bad Stuff :
1) The film's tacky sets
2) The dialogue delivery of the actor (is it Ramakrishna?) playing
Krishna. While everyone goes about speaking in 'graanthika' kannada,
this chap indeed speaks street-type. E.g., 'swalpa gnaapisiko' is
delivered as 'swalpa gnapsko'. Compare him to Rajkumar, Sarojadevi,
and other old timers. Even Ghatokacha's magician sidekick's sidekicks
from Mayabazaar outperform 'babhru..'s Krishna character. And don't
even try comparing him with SV Ranga Rao or Savitri.
3) Rajkumar singing 'sabheyoLage draupatiya seereyanu..', wrongly
pronouncing draupadi's name.
4) Lot of street talk in the dialogues, spoiling the 'bayalaata' mood
of the film.
Good stuff :
1) Rajkumar's potrayal of Arjuna and his son, and his matching makeup
and constume.
2) Good music
3) The sawal-jawab song in the main battle scene, though they should
have had more of those.
The storywriter, taking a hint from Kalidasa's way of justifying
Dushyanta's actions, puts the blame for all of Arjuna's promiscuity on
Krishna's maya. Only, here it is done too many times, and Arjuna's
excuse seems a bit too lame. I still can't understand why Krishna
would go to such length to get his own sister married to such a
promiscuous and unfaithful person.
--Shree
Shree
> and other old timers. Even Ghatokacha's magician sidekick's sidekicks
That should have been Ghatotkacha. Typasura at work.
--Shree
UVR
LOL Must be the "cousin brother" of Micasura, these days mostly seen
in the form of Lata 'didi'.
-UVR.
Shree
Could someone shed more light on whether there is a deliberate pun on
'madanaari' in the song 'aaraadhisuve madanaari'?
I remember having a debate while I was in highschool, where it was
speculated that 'madanaari' could be broken up as 'madana + ari' , as
well as 'mada + naari'. This was because Arjuna is picturised as
indulging in antics such as pretending to worship Shiva when Subhadra
is looking, and not quite so when she is not looking.
While the meaning of 'madana+ari' is obvious, 'mada+naari' was attached
with meanings such as 'woman intoxicated (by her own youth)' as in
'mada+gaja', or 'woman at the pinnacle of youth'. (The ruder ones
among us even went as far as saying 'woman in heat').
Any opinions?
--Shree
yeskay
>I remember having a debate while I was in highschool, where it was
>speculated that 'madanaari' could be broken up as 'madana + ari' , as
>well as 'mada + naari'. This was because Arjuna is picturised as
>indulging in antics such as pretending to worship Shiva when Subhadra
>is looking, and not quite so when she is not looking.
>
>While the meaning of 'madana+ari' is obvious, 'mada+naari' was attached
>with meanings such as 'woman intoxicated (by her own youth)' as in
>'mada+gaja', or 'woman at the pinnacle of youth'. (The ruder ones
>among us even went as far as saying 'woman in heat').
>
>Any opinions?
>
Seems a bit far-fetched, but not impossible to think if you look at one
of the antaras which is
is totally direct in what he is suggesting:
Maidori munde sahakarisu
aa maranolavaNe pariharisu
premamruthavanu neeNisu
tanmayagoLisu maimaresu
Esp the second line, there can't be any other meaning but he is asking
himself to be
relieved. Even we had a lot of last-bench giggle sessions analysing this
song
in high school.
Animesh Kumar
> asi...@my-deja.com wrote:
<snip>
> Could someone shed more light on whether there is a deliberate pun on
> 'madanaari' in the song 'aaraadhisuve madanaari'?
>
> I remember having a debate while I was in highschool, where it was
> speculated that 'madanaari' could be broken up as 'madana + ari' , as
> well as 'mada + naari'. This was because Arjuna is picturised as
> indulging in antics such as pretending to worship Shiva when Subhadra
> is looking, and not quite so when she is not looking.
>
> While the meaning of 'madana+ari' is obvious, 'mada+naari' was attached
> with meanings such as 'woman intoxicated (by her own youth)' as in
> 'mada+gaja', or 'woman at the pinnacle of youth'. (The ruder ones
> among us even went as far as saying 'woman in heat').
Your analysis is pretty interesting. But you must use the semantics or
whole language construct to figure it out. I wonder if the telugu
construct has any similarity with sanskrit. In sanskrit, madanaari word
will give *madanaare* in "vocative (sambodhan)" or *madanaari.h* (with
visarga) in nominative. mada-naarii on the other hand will be
*madanaari* in "vocative" and *madanaarii* in "nominative".
Am kind of sure you guys are mis-interpreting it rather than Subhadra
confusing Arjuna (unless the telugu constructs aren't really strict).
Best,
A
madana +
>
> Any opinions?
>
> --Shree
>
Shree
I would agree with you if it was sanskrit, but the language in question
is kannada, and I think there is a bit of change here.
I don't think there is difference in prathama vibhakti and sambodhana
in this context for madana+ari. I have also not seen naari (or similar
ii-kaaraanta streelinga nouns) written with an elongated ikaara in
kannada. Hence I think there is a chance for pun. All IMHO, of course
--Shree