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Photo: S. Gopakumar

Recognition: Shyamaprasad, left, receives the award instituted by the NETPAC from Murali, actor and Chairman of the Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.

“Since my film was not even in the Competition Section of the IFFK, the award came as a pleasant surprise,” says the director.

“The fact that it was the opening film of the Indian panorama’s feature film section in the 38th International Festival of India shows the kind of acceptance the film has received in other places in India too,” he adds.

In fact, actor Nafisa Ali, chairperson of Children’s Film Society, enjoyed the film so much that she said in an interview that her choice for the Oscars would have been ‘Ore Kadal.’ Lavishing praise on the film, she had said that it was “a real film with a real cast.” Buoyed by the response to the film, Shymaprasad is planning to release it in all the metros with sub-titles.

‘“Ore Kadal’ was screened at Asiatika International, Rome, which showcased the most outstanding films of the Asian countries this year. The response of the viewers amazed me,” admits Shyamaprasad.

The director seems to be quite unaffected that his film was not included in the Competition section of the IFFK. “Perhaps the organising committee of the IFFK wanted to be politically correct when they decided against including ‘Ore Kadal’ in the Competition Section,” he adds.

The director admits that he is pleased that the film has managed to evoke strong reactions wherever it was screened. A nuanced film that portrays an illicit affair between an economist and a homemaker, it had created ripples among the chatterati in Kerala. The sterling performance of Mammotty and Meera Jasmine was enhanced by cinematographer Azhagappan’s fine camera work and the haunting music by Ousepachan.

“The open-ending of the film disturbed viewers who want a conclusive, black-and-white finale for each film. I did not sit on moral judgment on any of the characters; ‘Ore Kadal’ is about a man-woman relationship and it delves into their tumultuous relationship. The audience was left to reflect on their lives and views,” explains Shyamaprasad.

He points that if art is to be a reflection of society and also make people think, then ‘Ore Kadal’ certainly did that.

He feels that the film was a true reflection of a middle class milieu that also tackled issues such as urbanism, insular living, breakdown in communication, unemployment and so on.

Meanwhile, Shyamaprasad is immersed in discussions for his next film. Although most of his works have been adaptations of literary works, (‘Ore Kadal is an adaptation of Sunil Gangopadhyay’s novel ‘Hirak Deepti’), his next film would be based on an original screenplay, says the director.

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