Reflection of harsh realities
VIJAY GEORGE
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Pradeep Nair received aSpecial Jury Mention for his film`Oridam.'
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NEW IMAGERY: Pradeep Nair on the sets of `Oridam.'
In a year in which Malayalam films did not garner the number of national awards that it usually does, the Special Jury Mention for Pradeep Nair's `Oridam' comes as a welcome announcement.
The film, which narrates the heart wrenching tale of a girl who yearns to get out of her life as a `sex worker,' won the honour in the 52nd National Film awards announced last week for Pradeep Nair's attempt to create a new imagery and effective cinematic language.
Pradeep, who hails from Kottayam, was earlier noted for his documentaries like `Man Vs Nature: The struggle eternal' on landslides in high ranges of Kerala and `A neo realistic dream' on India's first neo-realistic film P. Ramadas' `Newspaper Boy.'
Your comments on the announcement of the National Awards?
From the reports that have come in, `Oridam' was a strong contender for quite a few categories. I am delighted that the national jury appreciated our film.
Were you expecting more awards?
Since there was intense competition with many prominent filmmakers, including Shyam Benegal, Girish Kasaravally, T.V.Chandran and many others in the fray, I think the Special Jury Mention is in itself an achievement. But I had hoped that Geetu Mohandas' acting would fetch her an award.
How was it shooting a `non-conventional' film like `Oridam?'
I should thank the producer of the film, Jesinlal James for his conviction. He is a software engineer and loves `realistic' films. He supported me once he was convinced about the script. Geetu, who is the protagonist in the film, was ready to do the role without any make-up.
Although the film was appreciated, `Oridam' got a rather cold response at the box office. True?
The box office collections were not that encouraging. Still, we were excited by the response of the audience who had seen it. No one complained that the film was slow paced, as it is usually said about so-called offbeat films. It is indeed tough to run a small budget film without any superstars for more than a couple of days in the big theatres.
Does that deter you from attempting to go ahead with the kind of films you are comfortable with?
Although those who have seen the film admired it, the fact that it could have reached many more is at the back of my mind. Naturally, as a filmmaker, I am concerned about the fate of my films. At the end of the day, we are making films for people to see and analyse its merits. The national recognition for the film has been a great relief for me. I have already started working on my next script.
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