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Trials of toiling masses on silver screen

PUDUCHERRY: “We show the faces of our people on our screen as we are unable to see them on ‘their’ silver screen;

“We come out with the stories of our people, as we seldom find them in ‘their’ stories; and we compose our own music, as we never hear them in ‘their’ lyrics.”

This is the sum and substance of the message of ‘Pudhuvai Thiraipada Iyakkam’, a movement for alternative films in the Union Territory.

According to president of the Puducherry unit of the Progressive Writers Association (PWA), S. Ramachandran, the movement is part of the association’s efforts to reach out to the people, more particularly the toiling masses, through short films and documentaries.

After the screening of ‘Ezhumalai Jamaa’, a 53-minute short film, at Alliance Francaise on Monday, he said, “The story of the film revolves around the life of folk artistes. It speaks vividly of the deterioration of ‘theru koothu’, the art form of the toiling masses, and also the changes in the lifestyle of the performers.”

All actors in the film are members of a Tiruvannamalai-based ‘theru koothu’ team, who have adopted the Purisai Thambiran tradition.

Elumalai, the hero of the film, was a legend among the ‘theru koothu’ performers in the area, who played a key role in organising the folk artistes around six decades ago. The film is based on a short story penned by Bhava Chelladurai in the late 1980s.

President of the Tiruvannamalai unit of the Progressive Writers’ Association (PWA) S. Karuna has directed the film.

The only prominent film personality who has helped the team in editing is B. Lenin.

Following a call given by the PWA at its Tiruvannamalai meet last year, 18 short films have been produced. Among the creations of the PWA, ‘Coolie’, which depicts the travails of the farm workers of Puducherry, is the lowest budget film, with an investment of Rs. 22,000. However, for ‘Elumalai Jamaa’, Rs.60,000 has to be spent, Mr. Ramachandran recalls.

“We are aware of the technical flaws and other shortcomings of our creations. But we are satisfied that we have taken a step forward. We are aware that we are only following in the footsteps of the doyens of documentary and alternative film movements in different parts of the country,” he says.

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Trials of toiling masses on silver screen

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