Kaikala Satyanarayana is one of the original greats who
rose from abject wilderness into a lifespan of limelight that never dimmed
until his last breath. There are very few actors in world cinema who can be
compared with his range of acting, his repertoire of characters and his
filmography from the B&W era to the color era. Not a joke to act in 777
films and have his own inimitable stamp of assertive body language, a timber
and tone that is longer than what you hear when a Texas woodsman saws a 350-year-old
tree with his lumberjack, and it creates a long noise that’s heard for a long
time. Satyanarayana’s laughter is equally intense and that has been the most
imitated sound by mimicry artistes. That they could replicate the
tintinnabulate sound is a tribute to KS but how he reproduced that sound in
between lengthy dialogues are proof of his verbal capacity. At the age that he
passed today, eighty-eight, he has outlasted almost all the Tollywood greats
who travelled with him and departed before him from SVR to NTR to ANR to
Savitri to Gummadi to the trinity stars of Shoban Babu, Krishna and
Krishnamraju. His weight in the film’s success was always under-appreciated but
nobody could gainsay the intrinsic weight he carried on his own shoulders.
That’s why for most of the films where the titles rolled, if Kaikala
Satyanarayana acted in the film, his name with all the sobriquets adorning it
was usually mentioned at the end (Like “…And Pran”) or in later years, right at
the beginning out of veneration to his body of work. It shows Satyanarayana’s
stamp of authority on Telugu Cinema that whoever was there in the frame, he
cannot be ignored; he was indispensable, and roles appeared custom-built for
his versatile range of acting replete with all the nine emotions as they say.
Much has been said in the TV Channels and across the web
about Satyanarayana’s astonishing film career. But some points must be noted in
his honor for the record of his class and sustained success over sixty years of
the Film Industry.
1.
Kaikala
Satyanarayana transitioned from a dupe to a character actor to an anti-hero and
later as a mighty mythological character or as a full-length comic character.
Occasionally, he starred as a hero on request from well-wishers and willing producers,
but he never let that go to his head. He realized that amidst stalwarts like
SVR, Nagoya, Gummedi, Nagabhushanam and Rajababu, he needed to constantly learn
and unlearn and improvise and bag roles that defied any classification or
typecasting. For example, after “Taata Manavudu” (where he plays the hero along
with Rajababu) he could have settled as a hero also with his tall and handsome
looks but he chose to remain menacing and evil-minded on the screen because of
the huge opportunity for such characters in the 60s and 70s. Somewhere in the
late 70s and early 80s, Satyanarayana starred in another film as a hero called
“Moratodu Naa Mogudu” (Heroine: Jayasudha) which became a blockbuster hit. Yet,
he was grounded and never insisted on hero roles.
2.
KS straddled the
world of commercial films as well as roles that made him an icon and a
role-model hard to match. Whatever be the camera angle, or the storyline or the
director’s cut - Satyanarayana always delivered be it as a rapist, sadist,
eve-teaser, drunkard, silly son, wise father, father-in-law, irresponsible son,
guardian angel, doting uncle, or a father-figure. The success he achieved in
any role speaks volumes about his dedication to the acting craft, his
theatrical strengths, his baritone voice, and his attention to detail.
3.
Very few actors in
Indian Cinema looked the part as much as KS and lot of credit must go to his
fussiness over makeup. Perhaps taking a cue from SVR and later, his screen
buddy NTR, Satyanarayana had the best of makeup support team to distinguish
himself on screen and make him a treat to watch whether he is playing Yama, Ghatotkacha,
Sher Khan, Mentor (in “Simhasanam”), Duryodhana, Deceiver (“Brindavanam”), or
as a charlatan in “Vetagadu”. His looks and his presentation were always a
standout and a draw for the film though he never bothered to check how the
credit to a film’s success got apportioned to him.
4.
During the tricky
years of rivalry between NTR and Krishna when they were making films on the
same theme such as Mahabharata, KS has the distinction of being the only actor
who starred in both “Kurukshetram” (as Duryodhana) and “Dana Veera Soora Karna”
(as Brim). Reports say he was as neutral and professional during this phase
keeping confidentiality about the projects racing against time, finally
released on the same day. In that sense, KS maintained the same stature and
earned respect of every generation of heroes and eagerly welcomed them or
encouraged them when they appeared on the screen. From NTR to Chiranjeevi to
Mahesh Babu (in “Maharshi his last film), KS kept his tryst with every
generation of actors. He never needed to lift his little finger to come out
trumps against any actor because of his innate abilities in acting but he will
leave you with moments and images of his persona in ways that will haunt your
imagination while still appearing as non-threatening to co-actors.
5.
Subhash Ghai had
cast Kaikala Satyanarayana in one of his films. Perhaps “Karma” where KS plays
as a bad man opposite Dilip Kumar. Something that shows his stature and his
“star value” in non-Telugu films. In K. Viswanath’s films also, KS was one of
the regulars and one can take a masterclass in acting from all the roles he
played in K Viswanath’s films from “Jeevan Jyothi” to “Shubhalekha” to “Shrutilayalu”
to “Janani Janma Bhoomishcha” to “Sutradharulu” and “Apathbandhavudu”, he will
be seen in new light - sans swagger and extra-meanness and surrendering himself
to the master director. Ditto in films with Bapu (“Sita Kalyanam”, “Sampoorna
Ramayanam”, and “Rambantu”), Dasari Narayana Rao (“Thoorpu Padamara”) or K
Balachander (“Rudra Veena”) or SV Krishna Reddy (“Ghatotkachudu” and
“Yamaleela”). Very rare for an actor to get picked up by so many wonderful
directors.
6.
KS got the
Raghupati Venkayya award for his contribution to Telugu Cinema as an actor and
as a producer (making films like “Kodama Simham”). Again, not many character
actors received such an honor. Gummed and Allu Ramalingayya were the only other
character actors who received this prestigious award. As the standards for the
award became tougher, Satyanarayana earned it rightfully in 2011.
7.
It takes talent, discipline,
and exceptional time-management to wrap up shooting roles in so many films -
how Satyanarayana managed ought to be a case study in film studies. In the
history of Telugu Cinema, Satyanarayana may have got over-shadowed in
popularity by occasional spurt of villains who invent new idioms and
idiosyncrasies in voice modulation like Rao Gopal Rao (modulation), or Prakash
Raj (intonation) or Kota Sreenivas Rao (accent). But the reasons for eclipsing
him are not because he vacated the space of villainy for new entrants. It can
be interpreted that he never wanted to be the sole and permanent villain in the
Film Industry; he wanted to experiment many roles, get imprinted in public
consciousness by playing mythological characters (which requires special talent
and demeanor). To that extent, because KS co-acted with NTR in over 100 films
and with legends like SVR in over 20 films, he must have studied the art of
mastering multifaceted roles from social to folklore to mythology to historical
to devotional to comic capers.
8.
Tonight, many
Indian actors and those who think they are urban legends will regret that they
couldn’t act with this phenomenal actor called Kaikala Satyanarayana. For all
those who cherished acting or collaborating with this handyman of Indian
Cinema, it gives rich memories of a stellar filmography of close to 780 films.
For the audiences who grew up watching him on screen and getting petrified or
violated or moved or intimidated or scarred or motivated or regaled or deeply
impacted by his characterizations, the fact that KS is no more is a big void
that can never be filled. If Telugu Cinema is today hailed as the only film
industry in the country that gives a sumptuous meal like a Thali meal, then KS
has always been that one item or ingredient in the Thali who pulled punches and
gave you money’s worth.
9.
KS proved that
being a part of a film is more important than playing a meaty or a lengthy
role. In “Kodama Simham” he can be hardly seen though he produced the film. In
“Arundhati” you cannot ignore him as a Patriarch who is both afraid and
respectful of Anushka. In countless films, K Satyanarayana entertained us with
thrilling combinations - with hero, co-artistes, co-comedians, etc. Another
great lesson for those who want to run everlasting marathons in silver screens.
It took 88 years for a man who played the God of Death to
reach the afterworld of death. Peace to his well-lived life. Om Shanti.
