Seer questions adaptation of folk song in movie

The song in praise of Male Mahadeshwara was used in the context of a violent scene

Salur Mutt seer Shanthamallikarjuna Swami has taken exception to the adaptation of a devotional folk song pertaining to the presiding deity of M.M. Hills temple shrine while portraying a violent scene in a Kannada movie.

The song “Sojugaada Sooju Mallige’’ has been rendered in folk form for centuries in praise of Male Mahadeshwara by the the tribals and devotees but it has been adapted in a scene related to murder which is questionable, said the seer. The song has been used in a recent Kannada movie ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana’.

The seer said while it is common to adapt devotional and folk songs to suit a particular sequence, it has been portrayed while depicting a violent crime which amounts to distorting and abusing the cultural values enshrined in the original song.