Bara (1982)

The noted Navya Movement writer Ananthamurthy (cf. Samskara, 1970) provided the story for this tale about political chicanery set in the Bidar district of Karnataka, a famine-ridden area. The film weaves together the farmers’ daily reality with scenes of the political rivalry between two ministers, represented at local level by the clash between Gangadhar, president of the grain merchants’ association, and Bhimoji, a small-time politician. When Satish Chandra (Nag), a deputy commissioner, resorts to a crazy water diviner to relieve the situation, a crisis erupts and a major riot ensues, leading to a ministerial resignation. The rival minister, by being the first to order much-needed grain to be rushed to the famine-stricken area, thereby consolidates his political hold.