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Building castles in the air

K.P. Kumaran's "Akashgopuram" showcased in the Capital

LABOUR OF LOVE: Scene from K.P. Kumaran's "Akashgopuram"

In town to showcase what he describes as his labour of love, his film "Akashagopuram" (Castles in the Air), was well known Malayalam scriptwriter and director K. P. Kumaran, who has to his credit several films including "The Rock" that bagged the gold medal at the Asia 72 Film Festival.

He has also made feature films, documentaries and programmes for television. His other films, "Athithi" (1974), "Rugmini" (1988) and "Thotram" (2000), have been recognised nationally and internationally.

His latest venture, which is expected to be released by February-March next year, is an adaptation of the play "The Master Builder" by the world-renowned Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.

"The present film has been made in Malayalam. It is set in the suburbs of London. And the post-shooting work is in progress. The film while keeping close to the original text of the play is set in the contemporary milieu and draws its cast from among the immigrant community of Malayalis long settled in England,'' said Mr. Kumaran here on Tuesday at the presentation of glimpses from his latest film.

He has also been invited to the Norwegian Embassy, which is currently observing the centenary of Ibsen's death. Speaking about the play and the adaptation into the film, Mr. Kumaran said: "The play itself is open-ended, riddled as it is with unresolved contradictions and understatements that make the grey zones of ambiguity all the more profound and rich in symbolic undertones, never offering a resolved narrative with a conclusive finale.''

"The films also present a new text, a new visual and audio feel to the Malayali audience, which very much had been getting the same `filmi fare' for a long time now. The film has a completely different feel from what we have seen and heard till now.'' -- Bindu Shajan Perappadan

-- Bindu Shajan Perappadan

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