“How do you evoke devotion while singing the ‘Devaranama’,” asks one of Purandaradasa’s disciples in the film Haridasara Dinachari. The saint explains, “Concentrate on the lyrics and understand them, feel the spirit before singing. Your devotion will parallel your melody. That is what is called singing to the Lord with fervour.”
If this line conveys a little of how Purandaradasa’s Bhakthi-laden musical exhortations were directed towards social reform, inclusivity and religious harmony, the film explains them in full measure.
Adelaide-based filmmaker Girish Nagaraja, born and brought up in Bengaluru, and the director of the Kannada film, Haridasara Dinachari released by Karigiri Films, addressed audiences at its launch, explaining the motivation behind his work.
A still from the movie Haridasara Dinachari by Girish Nagaraja
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Special Arrangement
“I have attempted a documentary-feature chronicling ‘a day in the life of the saint-composer Purandaradasa.’ It has generous voice-overs and songs, and can also be termed a short musical. Hope you enjoy these classical melodies that were actually a part of Purandaradasa’s daily routine,” said Girish, adding the subject was close to his heart ever since he was a teenager.
“Being a connoisseur of Kannada literature and devotional hymns, particularly Haridasa sahitya, this creation was not only a challenge as my first film, but also in convincing classical musician Vidyabhushana to play Purandaradasa. I am here for any questions after the movie.”
Making of the movie
In November 2023, Girish watched a video of Vidyabhushana singing ‘Jagadhodharana’ with his friend Madhusudan Jayaram. “I was so moved by his rendition, I wanted to film him singing this. With my friend’s encouragement, I envisioned a cinematic story which had Purandara penning the song for Lord Krishna at Dodda Malur Temple, which is how the hymn originated in reality too.”
The film, Girish says, is crafted it as ‘a day in the life of Purandaradasa’ at Malur temple where he is said to have rested while on the way to visit his guru Vyasathirtharu who was then in Abburu near Dodda Malur. “Haridasara Dinachari depicts Purandara’s devout and musical lifestyle as well as his principles of life, spirituality and social justice.”
A still from the movie Haridasara Dinachari by Girish Nagaraja
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Special Arrangement
According to Vidyabhushana, Girish’s offer came as a shock, and he says he brushed it off saying, “I am a singer and not an actor.” It was Girish’s determined efforts and a script furnished with “more songs than to convey the story and minimum dialogues” that prompted Vidyabhushana to reluctantly agree.
After the positive response the movie has garnered, Vidyabhushana says, “What I enjoyed most was the selection of 18 musical renderings (nine Ugabhogas and nine songs) which are some of the rarest ones from Purandaradasa’s treasure of 4.75 lakh compositions.”
From the first frame, the dasa sahitya (lyrics of the dasas) and other namasankeerthane (devotional songs) draw the viewer in. The docu-feature begins with a set of line drawings by Ghanashyam KV, that are later seen in the movie, even as Narayana Sharma’s evocative rendering of ‘Dasarendare Purandaradasaraiyya’, plays in the background.
A still from the movie Haridasara Dinachari by Girish Nagaraja
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Special Arrangement
Vidyabhushana sang all the songs penned by Purandaradasa, Girish says. The first one, however, as it was an introduction to Purandaradasa composed by his guru Vyasathirtha, we had the young musician Narayana Sharma sing it in Kambodhi (a Carnatic raga).”
Girish spoke highly of cinematographer Hari Raju M, the 27-year-old who graduated from the Chennai Cinematography Institute. His aerial shots of Hampi and of the sunrise by serene waters, showing Purandara and his shishyas at Dodda Malur temple for morning prayers, have received acclaim and gone viral on social media.
Overcoming hurdles
The challenges Girish faced during the creation of his year-long project, included getting a tanpura that looked right. “Purandara was a 15th century saint reformer and it is said his tanpura was a unique one that he had designed. Getting an authentic-looking replica was not an easy task — Vidyabhushana rejected as many as 18 tanpuras. Finally, two days before the shoot, he told us to reach out to the Dasaiyya community near Chamarajanagar, who used a similar instrument for worship. After he approved, a tanpura was made overnight.”
A still from the movie Haridasara Dinachari by Girish Nagaraja
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Special Arrangement
As for the shooting locales, the team looked for temples that retained their ancient patina. “Even Dodda Malur, the mainstay of our film, now has roads, lamp posts and renovated walls. We shot at Kere-Tondanur near Melkote where the village environs of this temple and its stone corridors were a throw back to ancient times. We obtained permission to be at the archaeological sites of Melkote, Srirangapatna and Karighatta. We shot the River Cauvery from vantage points as the River Kanwa has now been reduced to a thin stream. Most of the agrahara scenes were shot at the Dakshina Chitra Heritage Museum in Chennai.”
Next in the pipeline for Girish the Sanskrit scholar and philosopher, Bannanje Govindacharya’s magnum opus Ramayana.
How it all began
Girish is the son of classical singers Nagaraja and Shantha, and grandson of Pattabhiramachar, one of the five siblings of the Prabhat theatre professionals — Venkanna, Subbannachar, Praneshachar and Venugopala — who were also well known Harikatha vidwans. The Prabhat family tree also has links to the Purandara lineage.
A still from the movie Haridasara Dinachari by Girish Nagaraja
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Special Arrangement
“For my post graduation, I joined the Film Writing and Direction course at Bangalore Film Institute. At the time, Kunigal Nagabhushan Rao was a part of the faculty and he trained me in the nuances of screenplay and dialogues.”
With a Masters in Biotechnology from MS Ramaiah College, Girish worked in the field of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability. For the last 18 years he has been living in Australia where he took up a Masters in Natural History film making as well as a MBA in Marketing Tourism from Flinders University in Adelaide.
“The seeds of dasa sahitya were sown in my childhood. My father did not miss an opportunity to explain the values embedded in these lyrics and encouraged me to sing them in my own style to improve my musical cognition,” says Girish.
From 2010, Girish would regularly conduct open-air road shows with dasa sahitya and singing for nagara sankeerthane in Australia.
Haridasara Dinachari is currently running in theatres
Published – January 08, 2025 06:03 pm IST
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