PamKirsch2959552 at 21:59, 5 December 2025

2025-12-05T21:59:07Z

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{{for|a red powder used for social and religious markings in India|Kumkuma}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Kanku
| native_name =
| image = Kanku film poster.png
| caption = Film poster
| director = [[Kantilal Rathod]]
| producer = [[Kantilal Rathod]]
| writer = [[Pannalal Patel]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* Kishore Bhatt
* Kishore Jariwala
* Pallavi Mehta
}}
| music = [[Dilip Dholakia]]
| cinematography = Kumar Jaywant
| editing =
| studio = Akar Films
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1969|||India|df=yes}}
| runtime = 148 minutes
| country = India
| language = Gujarati
| budget =
| gross =
| based_on = {{based on|Kanku|[[Pannalal Patel]]}}
}}

'''''Kanku''''' is a 1969 [[Gujarati cinema|Gujarati]] social drama film, starring Kishore Bhatt, Kishore Jariwala, Pallavi Mehta, directed and produced by [[Kantilal Rathod]]. The film deals with struggles of a widow, Kanku. The film was adapted from [[Pannalal Patel]]'s short story of the same name. The film won [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati]] at the [[17th National Film Awards]].

==Plot==
The film is set in rural north [[Gujarat]]. Kanku marries Khumo and their marriage life is happy. Khumo dies at young age while Kanku is pregnant. She is a widow in grief but waits for birth of her son Hiriyo. When Hiriyo is born, she spends most of her time in raising him. Many prospective males proposes remarriage but she declines and does farming and raising his son in struggles of poverty.<ref name=":1" />

She has to take loans during her struggles from a merchant Malakchand from nearby village. Malakchand is widower and has feelings for Kanku. She also has soft feeling for him too but both do not openly tell each other. When Hiriyo gets older and Kanku goes to Malakchand to take loan for Hiriyo's marriage. During this time, she was in physical relationship with Malakchand. Hiriyo's marries. Following her pregnancy, the village folk and neighbours gossip about her. She bravely declares her intention to remarry and convinces her son who has initially opposed her. She marries Malakchand.<ref name=":1" />

== Cast ==
The principal cast was as follows:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mehta |first=Ushakant |title=કંકુ |url=https://gujarativishwakosh.org/%E0%AA%95%E0%AA%82%E0%AA%95%E0%AB%81/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh]] |language=gu}}</ref>

* Pallavi Mehta as Kanku
* Kishore Jariwala as Khumo
* Kishore Bhatt as Malakchand
* Arvind Joshi
* Krishnakant Bhukhanwala

==Production==
Gujarati writer [[Pannalal Patel]] had written a 20-pages long short story ''Kanku'' in 1936 for Diwali Special edition of ''Nav-Saurashtra'' magazine. [[Kantilal Rathod]] contacted him and convinced him to adapt it into film. Patel also helped him writing script and dialogues of the film.<ref name="Dissanayake2013">{{cite book|author1=K. Moti Gokulsing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwGgF-rDucEC&pg=PT122|title=Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas|author2=[[Wimal Dissanayake]]|date=17 April 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-77291-7|pages=95–96|access-date=16 July 2015}}</ref><ref name=hp>{{cite thesis |last= Pandya |first=Hirendra R.|date=9 May 2015 |title=ગુજરાતી નવલકથા પર આધારિત ફિલ્મ સર્જનમાં રૂપાંતર પ્રક્રિયાની તપાસ| type= PhD|chapter=5 |publisher=Department of Gujarati, Sardar Patel University|pages=475–545|language=gu|trans-title=An Investigation of Process of Adaption of Gujarati Novels into Films|hdl=10603/40951}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name = Kanku
| type = soundtrack
| artist = [[Dilip Dholakia]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released =
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
| length = 13:46
| label = [[Saregama]]
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
{{tracklist
| total_length = 13:46
| headline = Track list
| all_music = [[Dilip Dholakia]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Weekly of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DMho14M9QUYC|year=1972|publisher=Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press|page=19}}</ref><ref name=":1" />
| all_lyrics = [[Venibhai Purohit]]
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Luchchan Re Luchchan
| lyrics1 =[[Venibhai Purohit]]
| extra1 = Ismail Valera
| length1 = 3:18
| title2 = Aa Mast Ghatao Shravanni
| lyrics2 = Venibhai Purohit
| extra2 =Ismail Valera
| length2 = 3:28
| title3 = Mune Andhara Bolave
| lyrics3 = Venibhai Purohit
| extra3 = Hansa Dave
| length3 = 3:27
| title4 = Paglu Paglaman Atvanun
| lyrics4 = Venibhai Purohit
| extra4 =Hansa Dave
| length4 = 3:33
}}

==Release==
The film was released in theatres in 1969. The film was released on Home Video DVD by [[Moser Baer]]. It has shorter cut of 136 minutes, 12 minutes less than the original.<ref name="hp" />

==Reception==
The film was commercially successful{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} and was critically acclaimed.<ref name="Kirpalani1970">{{cite book|author=Rajika Kirpalani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GisKAQAAIAAJ|title=Another Time, Another Place: Selected Writings of Rajika Kirpalani|publisher=Rajika Education Trust|year=1970|page=42}}</ref> Film critic [[Amrit Gangar]] considered ''Kanku'' as the "first real spark in Gujarati cinema firmament".<ref name="Dissanayake2013"/> The song "Mune Andhara Bolave" became popular.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shah |first=Saurabh |title=ગુજરાતી ફિલ્મો : રાખનાં રમકડાં અને પંખીડાંનું પીંજરું |url=https://sandesh.com/supplement/gujarati-movies-ash-toys-and-birdcage |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Sandesh |language=gu}}</ref>

== Accolades ==
Pallavi Mehta won an award at 6th [[Chicago International Film Festival]] in 1970.<ref name="Gujaratilexicon">{{cite web | title=Gujarati Movie - Kanku | website=Gujaratilexicon.com | url=http://www.gujaratilexicon.com/gujaratimovie/movie/1/37/Kanku | language=gu | access-date=2017-04-27}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Gujarat: A Panorama of the Heritage of Gujarat|publisher=Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra, Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust|year=2007|editor-last=Thaker|editor-first=Dhirubhai|editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker|edition=1st|location=Ahmedabad|pages=529–530|editor-last2=Desai|editor-first2=Kumarpal|editor-link2=Kumarpal Desai|series=Prakashan: 2}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The film won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati]] at the [[17th National Film Awards]].<ref name="17thaward">{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/17th_NFF_1971.pdf|title=17th National Film Awards|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]]|access-date=September 26, 2011}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The film also received four state awards: Best Director to Rathod, Best Cinematography to Kumar Jaywant, Best Story for Pannalal Patel and Special Prize for Gujarati Film Produced in Gujarati.<ref name=":1" /> A copy of film is archived at [[Film and Television Institute of India]], [[Pune]].<ref name=":1" />

==Adaptation==
After success of film, Pannalal Patel expanded short story into novel and was serialized in ''Jansatta'' daily in 1970. He dedicated novel to Kantilal Rathod.<ref name=hp/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0266681}}

[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films based on Indian short stories]]
[[Category:Films set in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Films shot in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Indian drama films]]
[[Category:1960s Gujarati-language films]]
[[Category:Films about widowhood in India]]

Kanku - Revision history

PamKirsch2959552 at 21:59, 5 December 2025