Shubhamangala is a 1975 Indian Kannada language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on a novel of the same name by Vani, starring Aarathi and Srinath in the lead roles. The supporting cast features Shivaram, Ambareesh, Musuri Krishnamurthy and K. S. Ashwath. It is said that Puttanna and Aarathi became close during the filming of this movie. They got married later. The dialogues were written by renowned Kannada writer Bichi. This figures in the top three successful movies of Puttanna along with Sharapanjara and Nagarahaavu. The movie is known for its deft direction. It shows Puttanna's command over the medium of cinema. Vani's novel was literary in nature, mainly dealing with the inner emotions of the heroine. Puttanna had said that he had taken a single page from the novel - that gave him the essence - and woven a screenplay that was strong with visuals and dramatic content. The movie resurrected the career of Srinath as a top hero and established Aarathi as a top actress in the same league as Kalpana.
Plot
Hema is a pampered girl brought up in a small town by her father. Timma and Mooga are her servants, but she treats them just like her friends. Hema is playful and acts like a kid in all matters even though she has reached marriageable age. She meets Prabhakara, her cousin, who is visiting their town after many years. Hema's father, who hates Prabhakara due to a longstanding family-feud sows the seeds of hatred in her mind as well. In a twist of fate, when Hema's father loses all his wealth and passes away, Hema and her two servants are left with no choice but to move in with Prabhakara. The self-respecting Hema takes up a job and strives to become self-reliant. When another twist of fate restores her wealth to her, she is forced to choose between the hate was taught and the love he has showered. The movie is an excellent study of the growth of Hema's character from a spoilt rich girl to an independent and mellow woman capable of taking a mature decision.
Trivia
The song "" was initially not part of the film. While Kanagal had earned success as a film director and Chi. Udayashankar was a successful lyricist, they had not worked together. Both met by chance at a studio in Madras. Udayashankar requested Kanagal for an opportunity to work with him. Kanagal first said that his film Shubhamangala was in the post-production phase and he would give him an opportunity for his next film. However, after a while, Kanagal sent a note and a rose to Udayashankar through a coffee-boy. The note read, "If you can write a song, I will include it in Shubhamangala." Udayashankar's joy knew no bounds. He wrote the song "Hoovondu balibandu..." in ten minutes flat, and sent it to Kanagal through the same coffee boy. Kanagal literally danced with joy upon reading the song and requested music composerVijayabhaskar to set the tune. However, he was faced with another challenge. SP Balasubrahmanyam was super-busy and his dates would be unavailable for at least a fortnight. Luckily, Kanagal learnt that character actorRN Sudarshan was present at a neighbouring studio. Sudarshan was an amateur singer and Kanagal requested him to sing the song. Next, Kanagal had to fit this song sequence in the film. He created a scene of the hero's birthday party in which the heroine hands him a rose and the song follows.
