Ondanondu Kaladalli
| Ondanondu Kaladalli | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Girish Karnad |
| Produced by | G. N. Lakshmipathi K. N. Narayan |
| Written by | Krishna Basaruru Girish Karnad |
| Screenplay by | Krishna Basaruru Girish Karnad |
| Starring |
Shankar Nag Sundar Krishna Urs |
| Music by | Bhaskar Chandavarkar |
| Cinematography | Apurba Kishore Bir |
| Edited by | P. Bhaktavatsalam |
|
Production
company |
L. N. Combines
|
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Release date
|
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Running time
|
137 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada |
| — | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Bhaskar Chandavarkar | |
| Released | 1978 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Label | Saregama |
Ondanondu Kaladalli (Kannada: ಒಂದಾನೊಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ, English: Once Upon a Time) is a 1978 Indian Kannada language film co-written and directed by Girish Karnad with music by Bhaskar Chandavarkar, starring Shankar Nag. It has influences of the early samurai films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, to whom Karnad has reportedly acknowledged his indebtedness. It won the 1978 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada.
Ondanondu Kaladalli paved the way for actor and director Shankar Nag's career in Kannada cinema. It gained the cult classic status among the Kannada audience.
Gandugali (Shankar Nag) is a mercenary who comes across a band of soldiers on the trail of a couple of wounded enemy soldiers. He ends up rescuing them and is taken to their chieftain who hires him to train his soldiers to fight his brother — his enemy. While there, Gandugali befriends the son of the chieftain's eldest brother, Jayakeshi, who is consigned to tending to cattle by his uncle. Jayakeshi asks Gandugali to help him reclaim his land and reinstate him as the chief. Gandugali refuses saying he is only a mercenary and that the youngster has no money to offer.
Gandugali helps the chieftain earn minor victories against his brother, much to the envy of the chief's commander. After one battle where Gandugali manages to steal the enemy's cattle, on the day of a festival, the commander of the enemy Peramadi (Sundar Krishna Urs) ends up trapped by Gandugali and his men. Gandugali releases him saying that he did not wish to shed any blood on a festival day.
Gandugali returns to his chief with the cattle only to realise that the chief and the commander are set against him for releasing Peramadi. The chief refuses to see him and the commander assigns men to keep an eye on him. That night an attempt is made on Gandugali's life, but the men looking out kill the assassin. Gandugali is furious when he realises that men had been assigned to keep an eye on him. Gandugali also realises that now with Peramadi defeated they don't have anything to fear or any need for him. He collects his salary and leaves in anger.
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