General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20266 min read

Nagarahavu

Nagarahavu (Kannada: ನಾಗರಹಾವು, "cobra") is a 1972 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by S. R. Puttanna Kanagal and produced by N. Veeraswamy, starring Vishnuvardhan as the hot-tempered young man Ramachari in his first lead role.¹^•² Released on 29 December 1972, it became a landmark of Kannada cinema, swept the Karnataka State Film Awards for 1972–73, and launched the careers of Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh as leading men.³^•⁴ It should not be confused with a 2016 Kannada fantasy film of the same name directed by Kodi Ramakrishna.⁵

Key fact	Detail
Release	29 December 1972, in Kannada, in Eastman Color; censor certificate U³
Director / producer	S. R. Puttanna Kanagal; produced by N. Veeraswamy for Sri Eswari Productions¹
Source	Screenplay woven from three novels by T. R. Subba Rao (Ta.Ra.Su): Nagarahavu, Sarpa Matsara, and Eradu Hennu Ondu Gandu²^•⁶
Lead cast	Vishnuvardhan (Ramachari), Aarathi (Alamelu), Shubha (Margaret), K. S. Ashwath (Chamayya Meshtru), Leelavathi (Thunga), Ambareesh (Jaleela)⁷
Music	Vijaya Bhaskar; songs with lyrics by R. N. Jayagopal, Chi Udayashankar, and Vijayanarasimha³
Awards	Eight Karnataka State Film Awards for 1972–73, including Second Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress⁴
Remake	Hindi remake Zehreela Insaan (1974), directed by Kanagal with Rishi Kapoor⁸

Spoilers

Story and setting

The film is set in Chitradurga, in the 1950s, and follows Ramachari, an angry young man with a legendary temper whom the town brands a troublemaker.²^•⁹ His only supporter is his old primary school teacher, Chamayya Meshtru, who believes Ramachari needs only time to mature.² Ramachari falls in love with Alamelu, whose parents forbid the marriage and force her to wed another man; when he discovers that her husband has become her pimp, he sets out to save her, aided quietly by Chamayya, a childless man who loves him as a son.⁷ After Alamelu's marriage he also comes to love Margaret, who was already in love with him.¹⁰

The Rotten Tomatoes synopsis frames the plot as a clash of ideologies between Ramachari and his teacher that leads him to fight against the age-old caste system and other maladies corrupting society.¹ A scholarly reading in ShodhKosh argues that the film stages a genuine moral conflict between Ramachari and Chamayya, lets each pass judgment on the other, and withholds its own verdict on who was right.¹¹ The film opens and closes with the same images of rocks and the sun seen through a red filter, suggesting that despite the tumultuous events, nothing has actually changed in the town.²

Production

Puttanna Kanagal built the screenplay by combining three novels by the Chitradurga writer T. R. Subba Rao, known as Ta.Ra.Su: Sarpa Matsara, Eradu Hennu Ondu Gandu ("Two Women, One Man"), and Nagarahavu.⁶ Shooting took place at the Chitradurga fort, and Kanagal treated the fort itself as a character in the film.⁶^•¹² The film was made in 35 mm and later converted to a Cinemascope version.³^•¹³

Casting and careers. Vishnuvardhan, then credited as Kumar after a small part in Vamshavruksha (1972), played Ramachari; the role made him a star, and his performance as the angry youth was described as the prelude to a popular career.⁴ Ambareesh entered the screen through the role of Jaleela.¹² Kanagal had a reputation for casting newcomers rather than established leading actors, and is credited with introducing many actors, poets, and script writers to the industry.¹⁴

The relationship with the source author soured. Subba Rao later disowned the film, and supporters of Kanagal attacked him for allegedly not understanding his own story; at one public event he called the film "Kere Haavu" ("pond snake") in Kanagal's presence, though the disagreement subsided within days according to Kanagal's biographer D. B. Basavegowda.⁸^•¹⁵

Music

Vijaya Bhaskar composed the score, with lyrics by Vijayanarasimha, Chi Udayashankar, and R. N. Jayagopal.³ Songs include "Karpoorada Gombe Naanu" (P. Susheela), "Haavina Dwesha Hanneradu Varusha" (S. P. Balasubrahmanyam), "Baare Baare Chendada Cheluvina Thaare" and "Kannada Naadina Veera Ramaniya" (P. B. Srinivas), and "Sangama Sangama Anuraaga Sanga" (P. B. Srinivas and P. Susheela).³ The rebellious "Nanna rosha" number is set to a marching beat, and the climactic hotel sequence has Alamelu bursting into song to explain her condition.⁸ Reviewers decades later noted that audiences still sing the songs from memory.¹⁶

Reception and legacy

The film ran to hundred-day celebrations in theaters across Karnataka, and a Kannada-cinema history records that it celebrated a record 25 consecutive weeks in theaters.⁴^•¹⁷ At the 1972–73 Karnataka State Film Awards the film set a record by taking home eight honors: Second Best Film; Best Actor, won by Vishnuvardhan; Best Actress, won by Aarathi; Best Supporting Actor, won by K. S. Ashwath; Best Supporting Actress, won by Shubha; Best Story Writer, won by Ta.Ra.Su; Best Screenplay, won by Puttanna Kanagal; and Best Dialogue Writer, won by Chi Udayashankar.³^•⁴ It was remade in three languages, including the Hindi Zehreela Insaan (1974).⁴^•⁸

Enduring status. The Times of India gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and called its classic status undisputed, with every viewer having a favorite song or moment.⁹ On BookMyShow it holds 9.5/10 from more than 9,000 votes.¹⁸ A digitized Cinemascope version was re-released on 20 July 2018 at the Narthaki theater.³^•¹³ Commentators have linked the film's Ramachari to the "angry young man" archetype in Indian cinema, though one Letterboxd reviewer argues his anger is presented as temperament rather than righteous grievance.¹⁶

The 2016 film of the same name

A separate Kannada film titled Nagarahavu was released in 2016, directed by the Telugu filmmaker Kodi Ramakrishna. It is a fantasy in which a woman, Naganika, transforms into a snake in her next life to seek revenge after being killed by the tantrik Kapali, who covets an ancient monument her family guards.¹⁹ The film was marketed as the 201st film of the late Vishnuvardhan, who appears through digital recreation as King Nagaraja.⁵^•¹⁹ The Indian Express review called the screenplay absurd and the visual effects bizarre, and the film performed poorly at the box office.⁵^•¹⁰ It runs about 2 hours 22 minutes and streams free with ads in India on Zee5.¹⁹

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Kannada films before 2010

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

Notice something wrong?