Ghatashraddha
Ghatashraaddha (transl. The Ritual) is a 1977 Indian Kannada language film directed by Girish Kasaravalli starring Meena Kuttappa, Narayana Bhat and Ajith Kumar in lead roles. It is based on a novella by eminent Kannada writer U. R. Ananthamurthy. The film was Girish Kasaravalli's first feature film as a director, and marked not only the arrival of a promising new filmmaker but also that of Kannada cinema in the India's 'New Cinema' horizon.
| Ghatashraaddha | |
|---|---|
Poster | |
| Directed by | Girish Kasaravalli |
| Written by | U. R. Ananthamurthy |
| Screenplay by | Girish Kasaravalli |
| Based on | Ghatashraddha by U. R. Ananthamurthy |
| Produced by | Sadananda Suvarna |
| Starring | Meena Kuttappa Ajith Kumar Narayana Bhat |
| Cinematography | S. Ramachandra |
| Edited by | Umesh Kulkarni |
| Music by | B. V. Karanth |
| Distributed by | Suvarnagiri Films |
Release date | 1977 |
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada |
The film won three awards at the 25th National Film Awards, awarded for films of 1977. It won the award for Best Feature Film, Best Music Direction (B. V. Karanth) and Best Child Artist (Ajith Kumar).
In 2002, Ghatashraddha became the only Indian film to be chosen by the National Archive of Paris among 100 others, during the centenary celebrations of cinema. At the 2009 International Film Festival of India, it was announced one of the 20 best films in Indian cinema, having received 1.6 million votes.
During February 2024, US film publication Variety announced that the Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, George Lucas' Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) have partnered to restore the film in time for its 50th anniversary from the original camera negative preserved at India's National Film Development Corporation of India-National Film Archive of India.