Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu Kannada is a 1974 Indian Kannada language film directed by Siddalingaiah, based on the novel Vayyari by Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar, and starring Vishnuvardhan, Lokesh and M. P. Shankar in lead roles. The film is deemed to be a landmark in Kannada cinema.
Bhootayya is a ruthless zamindar of a small village, who used to mercilessly occupy the land of the villagers to whom he had lent money, when they fail to repay their debts. He was very shrewd and talked the villagers into building a dam across the river in the outskirts of the village, which was prone to floods. He gets hold of the fertile land on the banks of the river and builds a house for his son Ayyu Lokesh.A few days later, Bhootayya falls ill and eventually dies. The villagers rejoice at the death of Bhootayya and they hold such a grudge against the zamindar that nobody comes to even see his dead body. His son Ayyu tries to get some people to him in completing the funeral rites and offers a huge sum but nobody relents and Ayyu cremates Bhootayya by carrying him to the cremation ground all alone. ........
Source: Wikipedia