Edakallu Guddada Mele (pronunciationⓘ transl. Atop the Edakallu Hills) is a 1973 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal. It is based on the novel of same name by Bharathi Suta which was an adaptation of the English novel Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence.[1] and starring Jayanthi, Aarathi, Ranga, Chandrashekar, Shivaram.
The film received 'A' certificate by the CBFC. The DVD was released with U certificate with some cuts required for recertification. However, a part of the deleted scenes created a furore when they resurfaced online in 2021.[2] The movie was dubbed in Hindi as Prem Aur Vaasna.[3][4]
The movie dealt with the taboo subject of sexual desires of a woman whose needs were not met by her impotent husband.[5]
M. Ranga Rao composed the music for the soundtrack and the background score for the film. The lyrics for the soundtrack was penned by Vijaya Narasimha, R. N. Jayagopal, M. Narendra babu and K. Prabhakar Shastry. The soundtrack album consists of eight tracks.[8]
The film analysts have been skeptical of Kanagal's handling of the theme. According to film historian K Puttaswamy, “It was extraordinary in its making but quite conservative in approach. It looks at losing one’s ‘chastity’ as a sin and death as the solution. It is also a turning point in Kanagal’s career since from then he was quite conservative in his handling of women’s issues".[9]