Rooted in literature
SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN
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`Akkale' by Shyamaprasad has won the national award for the best regional film.
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DIRECTOR'S SPECIAL: Shyamaprasad.
A national award for `Akkale,' an adaptation of Tennessee William's `The Glass Menagerie,' was never far away from director Shyamprasad's mind and he is candid about it.
Complementing Geethu Mohandas on her sterling performance in `Akkale,' Shyamprasad says, "She did a great job and I did expect her to win an award. But it would be unfair to make comparisons as I have not seen Thara's film ( She won the National Award for the Best Actress)."
But he adds that he is pleased that Sheela won the National Award for the Best Supporting Actress for her role of Margaret in his film `Akkale.'
Critical
"Audiences in Kerala were a little critical in appreciating Sheela's role in the film. They were uncomfortable with her style, dialogue delivery and so on. However, I thought she had depicted the neurosis of the character and breathed life into the slightly exaggerated behaviour of Margaret. Perhaps, audiences in Kerala were used to a certain image they had of Sheela and so they had reservations about her role in the film." Refusing to be drawn into the debate whether Malayalam cinema got its due share of the National Awards, he says, "It would not be correct to discuss this without watching the films that have made it. But it is clear that there is a wide gap between what is perceived as good cinema in Kerala and what makes the grade at the national level. We seem to be stuck in another era and so we have to search for new themes and idioms."
Not run-of-the-mill
He points out that "Akkale" was not a run-of-the-mill film. "The focus was on fragile, subtle nuances of relationships and I was told that the jury was unanimous in selecting it for the award. Although it was a small budget film, we refused to compromise on cinematography or production. As a result, the film is a visual feast."
Explaining why he prefers to take his stories from literature, he says, "I am not a writer. And I don't like the stories being concocted for cinema. Usually, they revolve round a formula and clichés that I want to avoid."
He adds, "A classic is a work that has stood the test of time and so I prefer to base my film on them. But my films would not be a literal translation of the book. I would be true to the viewers and what appears on celluloid would be my interpretation of the book."
He emphasises that his next film, which would be based on O.V. Vijayan's "Khazakinnte Itihasam," would be an attempt to interpret the classic in a contemporary setting.
"The book was written in 1969 and there is a great deal of existential angst. We have to make it relevant to the viewer whose concerns may be quite different today. One has to look beyond the written word and try to bring out the nuances of the story."
Shyamaprasad says that he plans to choose a theatre person to don the role of Ravi, the protagonist in "Khazakinnte Itihasam." Agreeing that his background in theatre has helped him in his work as a film director he adds, "It has helped to make my characters three-dimensional and visualise my scenes. In theatre one has to internalise a character and not merely portray a role. It is a continuous process and one has to delve deep into the character to understand the psychology of the role. This helps me to flesh out my characters and make them more realistic."
"Moreover, it was through theatre that I was exposed to world literature and to writers like Tennessee Williams, that was how `Akkale' happened," he says.
He points out that `Akkale' is one of the 11 films that has been shortlisted to be screened at the Brisbane film festival.
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Chennai and Tamil Nadu
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