Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Being different is his USP

This man is making not one but ten documentary films, as a series, called `Pathukoottam'. Gopi Mangalath, who has always opted to be `out of the ordinary', tells SHILPA NAIR ANAND about his present venture

FOR POSTERITY Scenes from Gopi Mangalath's ' Pathukootam'. `Natanam', top, `Devam', bottom left and `Chaandram'

Gopi Mangalath likes doing things slightly differently. When he approached a publisher to get a story published he was asked what was special about his work and was given some friendly advice "to go to some other publication." And not just that, his book had to have a USP. He carried the `advice' with him in his heart and taking it up as a challenge he brought out his stories in 1inch books and entered the Limca Book of Records. "The books have sold around 30,000 copies," says Gopi.

Although he has compiled the history of the Malayalam film industry on a film role, brought out a thumb-sized compilation of poems and short stories in the `mini' or rather tiny format, his interests extend beyond all things mini.

Documentary films

However, all these are asides as he is currently preoccupied with the completion of his series of 10 documentary films, `Pathukoottam.' He's doing 10 documentary films on varied subjects.

He also hopes to preserve some of the beliefs and indigenous systems that are at risk of being lost. And that is what has driven him to can the first five documentaries in the series. He's doing research for the next two. If one goes looking for a common strain that runs through each of these films, it would be difficult to spot it. The treatment of each of these subjects has been dealt with uniquely. The five documentaries that are ready are - `Devam', `Chaandram', `Face', `Marukai' and `Natanam'.

On M. V. Devan

`Devam' is based on the life of artist M. V. Devan, seen through his eyes and told by him. Unlike the usual interview format, with the stock questions and answers, Gopi lets Devan do the telling. "During the course of the documentary film on Devan Master, we deliberately chose to steer clear of the usual manner of making a docu-film, instead choosing the format of visual questioning. We had Devan master tell his story, as he goes through each day. For instance, when the narrative reaches the point when he talks of his association with Mathrubhumi, the film freezes as he picks up his bunch of dailies every morning. The narrative picks up that strain and tells the story of his association," says Gopi.

The third film in the series, `Face' uses another innovative technique: the faces tell the story of Father Abraham who runs a home for the destitute and the abandoned, `Devadaan' at Pala. The camera zooms in on the faces of the destitutes living at the home. Each face wears an expression worth a million words and in the background Father Abraham narrates the story.

The aim behind documenting the lives of artists such as Devan is to "preserve what they are in their own words for posterity. Usually what happens is that once these people are gone, people propagate all kinds of lies about them to suit their convenience, claim closeness and familiarity with these people. Why let that happen? Let posterity find out for itself," feels Gopi.

Although the first film is about a personality, the second documentary is `Chaandram'. The film shows K. C. Chandran of Tripunithara who makes amulets and charms, navaratna charms besides specific sculptures for temples. This documentary film is not so much about Chandran but more about his work.

Belief system

"The documentary shows Chandran and his family at work. But it is more about the elaborate belief system in amulets and charms. There are so many people who believe in these things, while there are still others who choose to ridicule these beliefs. So many prominent people in society wear these amulets, charms and/or navaratna rings, so there must be something to it," says Gopi, who says that although he may come across as being sympathetic he is definitely not propagating superstition.

Another film in the series `Marukai' deals with black magic and spells, which again play an important role in society. "People have a lot of faith in these things, and in fact take these things very seriously."

So charms, amulets and spells, do they work? "I am not for superstition and blind faith, of course, there are some `professionals' who have made a good life and they are not necessarily reliable. But there is something to some of the stuff."

Gopi has spent time and effort making these films, but the documentary format throws up a few problems. For instance, the time factor. "Unlike a film, a documentary cannot be subjected to tight editing. The duration then becomes a problem. It would be unfair and impossible to edit the three-hour `Devam' into a half-an-hour film. Television channels have approached me, and some of them have shown portions of my documentaries. Another problem is that these have been shot digitally so transmitting would also be a problem. I have also been told that most people do not have the patience to sit through documentaries and particularly long ones."

What is the point then, is it just for posterity? Gopi says "partly and partly in the hope that technology will advance and the films can be aired at some point in time in the future." Gopi has shown these documentaries to interested people who have approached him.

Natanam

The fifth film in the series `Natanam', working on which has finished is recorded through the mudras of dancer Jolly Mathew, who has adapted Job's story as a Mohiniyattom piece. But more than being about Jolly Mathew, the focus of the documentary is Bharathmuni's `Natyasasthram' and technical aspects that comprises dance forms.

Home remedies

`Moolam' (`Haritam') and `Shesham' are the next two documentaries that Gopi is working on. `Moolam' is about herbs and plants that are used as home remedies by grandmothers and `Shesham' is about what Gopi calls "inane beliefs" such as not leaving the house if a lizard makes a noise or if a crow crows from a particular direction. "The film will not condemn these beliefs but may poke fun at the inanity of such beliefs. And then it is for people to decide," says Gopi.

Interestingly, Gopi feels no compulsion to rush through the docu-films he is making. "I am taking things at my pace, why rush through things?" he asks. Why indeed when one is doing what is close to one's heart.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail