Camila captures the heart and soul
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
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Meet Brazilian actress Camila Mogardo who has given a sterling performance in "Olga", the opening film at the ongoing International Film Festival of India - 2005 in Goa.
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OLGA COMES ALIVE! Camila Mogardo in Goa.
She dreamt of becoming a doctor but as she grew up she was attracted to theatre, had eight years training in the theatrical art and became a fine actress of the stage in her country. Today, Camila Mogardo has attained the status of a celebrity with her outstanding performance as Olga in the Brazilian film of the same title, which was the opening film of the International Film Festival of India - 2005 in Goa on November 24. This film evoked tremendous response in Brazil and it was its official entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar this year.
What made her create the mesmerising portrait of Olga Benario Prestes, a great German Communist revolutionary who fought against Hitler's Nazi regime? "The film Olga, is based on the true life of this German revolutionary woman". The film is an adaptation of Fernando Morais' bestseller account of Olga.
The preparation
It took me more than a year to prepare for this role," says Camila, adding, "I knew that Olga became a Communist at the age of 15. I studied Communist Manifesto and books on dialectical materialism. I read several times Morais' book on her and thoroughly studied what she liked and disliked."
Her training and long experience in theatre enabled her to portray this challenging role with remarkable depth and power. "Though theatre is not very popular in Brazil, it is very much a part of the intellectual and cultural life of my country. I had the privilege of working with great Brazilian stage directors like Gerald Thomas and Antunes Filho." Olga is sent with Communist leader Luis Cartos prestes to Brazil, disguised as his wife, whose mission was to lead the revolutionary to overthrow dictator Vargas. Olga's work was to provide security to Luis. "Since Olga participates in the revolution, I undertook training in a military camp for some months to acquaint myself with military operation," she says.
Directed by Jayme Monjardim, the film is a historic epic. It captures the brutality of Nazi Germany with a telling effect. Being a Jew, Olga was condemned to die in a Nazi concentration camp in 1942. The camera captures the exquisite beauty of Camila as Olga. This talented actress brings alive vibrantly to the screen the multiple facets of her character from her youth in Munich to her brief romance with Prestes. She projects horrifying images of Olga in captivity while she is pregnant and her innate strength to confront perpetrators of crime against humanity.
Camila's Olga is a hardcore revolutionary as well as a young woman. Camila reveals this aspect of her character with remarkable artistry. Camila's Olga instils a strong feeling in the audience the necessity for perpetual struggle against the forces of Nazism in whatever form they may appear in different stages of history to protect human values of freedom and peace.According to her, Brazilian cinema has come of age and it is receiving critical acclaim for its artistic excellence and thematic concerns at various international film festivals. In Brazil, film productions are mainly funded by private sector. Only a small number of films are made with State assistance.
When we meet Camila face-to-face, she is a slim lady but on screen, there is a complete transformation of her physical, mental and emotional life. "In fact, I have completely identified myself with my character and lived my role," she says. Is Camila influenced by the political ideology of Olga'? "Yes, I am. I am the member of Brazilian Labour Party. But times have changed. We have to adopt different strategy for asserting human freedom and rights. We cannot adopt the same method Olga believed in and died for the cause dear to her. But the failed Brazilian revolution led by Olga and Prestes is part of our history which will enable us to understand the present."
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