The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Director flays stress on star value

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Director flays stress on star value

Special Correspondent

Close shot:Sibi Malayil, film director, second from left, with the actors in his latest film, ‘Apoorva Ragam,' Nishal, left, Asif Ali, second from right, and Vinay, at a meet-the-press programme in the city on Monday.

Thiruvananthapuram: A film should evolve from the story and not from the market value of the reigning star, Sibi Malayil, film-maker, said here on Monday.

At a meet-the-press programme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club, he said directors and producers in the Malayalam film world were responsible for the overemphasis on star value.

“The reason for the crisis in the Malayalam film industry can be traced to the lack of new stories, themes, artistes and creative treatment. With better access to international cinema, audiences now tend to compare Malayalam films with the best in the world. The challenge before us is to come up with films matching the best, within our limited resources. Creative effort must be a continuous process to achieve this,” he said.

Mr. Malayil said his latest work, Apoorva Ragam, featuring three new faces, was an effort in this direction. Such works would give courage to young film-makers to experiment with new ideas, themes and treatment.

He, however, stressed the need to maintain technical standards while experimenting.

He said controversies involving organisations in the film industry had vitiated the atmosphere and affected film-making in general. Many organisations had deviated from their mandate.

Asif Ali, one of the three young protagonists in the film, said he had accepted the negative role because of the script and his confidence in the director. Because of its unique approach, Apoorva Ragam was a film that had to be seen without preconceived notions. Nishal and Vinay, actors, and G.S. Anand, scriptwriter, were present.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala