Sadananda Suvarna, theatre and film director, dies at 92

Sadananda Suvarna, who directed the popular serial ‘Guddada Bhootha’ for Doordarshan, died of age-related ailments in Mangaluru yesterday. He was 92.

He was also the producer of the internationally acclaimed film ‘Ghatashraddha’ (The Ritual), directed by Girish Kasaravalli.

Kasaravalli told DH: “He was a rare person — sincere, unbiased and generous. The discipline that was visible in his plays — he followed it in life as well. Since he came from a theatre background, he had good taste in everything. Although he looked like a reserved person, he was friendly”.

Sadananda Suvarna

Kasaravalli and Suvarna collaborated on multiple projects. Suvarna directed Kubi Matthu Iyala (1992) with Charu Haasan in the lead role. Kasaravalli wrote the screenplay. While Kasaravalli was the creative director of Guddada Bhootha, Suvarna worked as an executive producer of Kasaravalli’s Tabarana Kathe.

In January, Suvarna received the B V Karanth award presented by Karnataka government’s Kannada and culture department.

Born in Mulki, Mangaluru, Suvarna lived in Mumbai for about six decades, before moving back to Mangaluru. He was associated with Kannada and Tulu theatre in Mumbai and Mangaluru and is known for productions like Court Martial, Urulu, Male Nilluva Varege, Suli and Donkubala. He left a lasting impact on artistes he nurtured in his theatre journey.

Popular Mumbai-based theatre person Mohan Marnad recalled Sadanand Suvarna as a very committed and disciplined person. “He was very strict and it was difficult for us to match his dedication, but the results were great,” he told DH.

Marnad worked on plays like Urulu and Gondhulu with Suvarna. “He was a perfectionist in every department. I’ve worked with about 40 directors now, but working with Suvarna was a special experience that I will always remember,” he added.

Marnad recalls an incident when he along with other theatre persons visited Suvarna in his Mangaluru home. “I wanted to help him make tea but he remarked in a stern voice, ‘do you think I’ve become old? I can make a few glasses of tea!’ That was the kind of character he was. He never wanted to depend on anybody,” he laughed.

Apart from theatre and acting, Marnad said he got to learn a lot about life as well from him. “He was like a school to us, just like B V Karanth. He conducted workshops everyday. He would make us read for a whole month sometimes. He was an all rounder, a playwright, a director and a superb actor as well,” concluded Marnad.

Mangaluru-based theatre artiste I K Bolwar describes Suvarna’s form of theatre as intimate. “His plays did not have songs or dance and did not have too many movements. His style was more direct and emphasised on dialogues. Theatre was never entertainment for Suvarna,” he said.

According to Bolwar, Suvarna’s plays addressed social concerns and were on the lookout for humanity. “His Urulu (The Noose) and Court Martial, both spoke about death. He explored life that exists within death in both the plays. Urulu discussed people battling death in every moment of their lives, while Court Martial was political,” said Bolwar.

Mumbai-based theatre artiste Ahalya Ballal recalled a memory with Suvarna when she did a reading of Jayant Kaikini’s Iti Ninna Amruta, an adaptation of Javed Siddiqui’s popular play Tumhari Amrita, at a book release event.

“Suvarna was playing Zulfikar and I, Amruta. It was just two people sitting and reading. During the reading, he was so overwhelmed with his character that he intruded into my character and started reading my portions as well. And after the event, he came to me and apologised, so gracefully. This is my fondest memory,” she recalled.

Suvarna's documentary Huchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu, based on the life and times of the Jnanpith laureate K Shivarama Karanth, received wide acclaim.

Ghatashraddha, produced by Sadananda Suvarna, was recently restored by the Film Heritage Foundation, Mumbai, with the support of Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project. The project is funded by George Lucas and his wife’s Mellody Hobson’s Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. It is set to premiere at the 81st Venice Film Festival in September.