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Drawing the right gaze
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Noted Malayalam filmmaker Sashi Paravoor's film "Nottam", based on the life of a Kudiyattam artiste, will be commercially released soon
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THE PLAY OF TIME A scene from the .lm "Nottam" with the protagonists performing Kudiyattam
How do you compress a tale of a lifetime into a couple of hours, centuries of tradition into a 20-day schedule? It's a challenge, but one that Sashi Paravoor, noted Malayalam film director, was game to take when he embarked on the film Nottam on the life of a great Kudiyattam artiste. And the budget of Rs.60 lakhs wasn't abundant. But Paravoor must be glad he took the plunge, since the film won a number of Kerala State awards declared last February, including the award for the best lyricist of the year for Ponkunnam Damodaran, the best male playback singer for M. Jayachandran, and the best female playback singer for K. S. Chithra. Besides, it has been praised by those who enjoy serious cinema. Now, the director is planning its commercial release.
"I am going to distribute it myself because distributors are not ready to release such films. Financiers also don't want to take them up. Nobody makes such films," says Paravoor, who was in New Delhi recently to screen the work at two special previews this past week.
Nottam (The Gaze) tells the story of a pre-eminent Chhakyar, as Kudiyattam performers are referred to. Played by Nedumudi Venu, the protagonist is steeped in the old-world culture of the classical art, seamlessly combining the discipline of the art with a life of dedication and devotion. His stage partner, Saraswathi, is played by Margi Sathi, a celebrated exponent of the art in real life, who makes her screen debut here. The film is dedicated to the memory of edakka artiste Subramaniam Potti, Sathi's husband, who died in a tragic accident during shooting.
Nottam, a Malayalam film with English subtitles, contains stage scenes and greenroom sequences that bring out the dignified beauty of Kudiyattam and symbolise its relevance to life beyond the stage. It may nevertheless have difficulty appealing to a wide audience, since not many know about this art of Kerala, though it was recognised in 2001 by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Paravoor feels it is all a question of presenting something different to audiences than what normally goes in the name of mass entertainment. He too became aware of Kudiyattam - considered the oldest theatre form in the world - after its recognition by UNESCO. He had just completed a film on the theme of AIDS, Kaattu Vannu Vilichappol (When the Breeze Comes Calling), and was looking for "a very powerful subject".
With popular mainstream actors like Nedumudi and Jagathy Sreekumar (who plays Unni, the Chhakyar's bosom friend and the Vidushaka of the troupe), the film is attractive, at least to Malayalam cinema regulars. However, there is a danger in taking celluloid stars for roles requiring immense classical training.
Says Paravoor, "I had full confidence in Nedumudi. But with Jagathy, I was a little doubtful." The faith in Nedumudi stemmed from his stage background. But Jagathy, says the director, "had never seen a performance of Kudiyattam till the day of shooting."
To make up for this lack, he spent hours watching Paravoor's video footage collected from his months of research with his storywriter Salil. "He even missed his lunch and kept watching." Experts were also on hand to demonstrate. "But when we finally shot the scene, I couldn't say `Cut!' - he was doing it so beautifully. The whole scene was taken in one shot. All the Kudiyattam artistes there thought they were real Chhakyars." What's more, Paravoor says he has already started on a film on Kunjan Nambiar, the 18th Century creator of another Kerala theatre form, Ottam Tullal, with Jagathy in the lead.
With plans to distribute the film digitally, Paravoor is hopeful of drawing just the right gaze.
ANJANA RAJAN
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