I was avid film watcher 40 years ago when I loved a girl whom I married after 16 years. After marriage I felt it is not necessary to know things from cinema. I told my wife we will do what they do in the house. So stopped going to cinema – in a mixture of fun and mild attack that there is nothing notable from cinema the Lok Ayuktha Chief justice Santosh Hegde stated at the Chitra Samooha felicitation to the national award winners at Badami House in Bangalore.

I do not speak about cinema but make a vote of thanks he mentioned and recalled the last film he had seen ‘Ishq Par Zor’ 40 years ago at Apsara theatre in city market locality.

Justice Santosh Hegde was the chief guest with Prof KS Nissar Ahmed on stage honored the national award winners with books and received a book ‘Cinemayana’ written by K Putswamy that won the national award in the recently.

Known for very lively address in his profession professor KS Nissar Ahmed recalled the olden days of seeing films of MS Sathyu, GV Iyer and others. Sathyu ‘Ghalige’ collapsed because of a thin heroine in the film he opined. Later looking at Arundhathi Nag the ‘Nithyotsava’ poet Ahmed said I thought she would speak in Kannada but spoke in English. Immediately reacting from the audience side Arundhati Nag told ‘Nimmanthavara Mundhe Kannada Kashta to talk’. Ahmed continued and said Girish Kasaravalli is like a touchstone. I have seen his ‘Haseena’ and torch scene is excellent. I had seen Girish Ghata Shraddha too. From then to this day he has been doing off beat films and intellectual thoughts are easily understandable by commoner felt Ahmed. In his speech he did not forget to appreciate the good work of ‘Chitra Samooha’.

Padmasri award winner Arundhati who bagged the best supporting actress for ‘Paa’ recalled that she is in the since 35 years on stage. I am fortunate to receive the supporting actress award in the film of Amitabh Bachchan. I am from the stage and physical movement will be much more than cinema acting. In one of the scenes Amitabh Bachchan came and told me not to waste energy. I was first brought to stage by MS Sathyu and he was in the committee year told Nag but immediately Sathyu from the audience side told I did not vote for you. ‘I expected that you would say like this Sathyuji’ Nag returned with an answer.

‘Cinemayana’ book author Puttaswamy recalled that it is Basavaraj and Ravindra Reshme who inspired me to write articles that is not a history of Kannada cinema. The 52 columns is the book form ‘Cinemayana’. It is not a compendium of Kannada cinema said Putswamy who wished to dedicate this national award to all journalists.

Dr Girish Kasaravalli, Gopalakrishna Pai, Cinemayana Publisher, Putani Party director and producer who bagged best children film award also received the honors.

Seshadri the serial award winning director anchored the evening and very precisely worded he brought the real cheer to the felicitation evening of ‘Chitra Samooha’.