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One for the girl child

K.N.T Sastry's `Kamali' tells the story of female foeticide

POIGNANT CAMEO Nandita takes up the plight of girl child in `Kamali'

Filmmaker K.N.T Sastry has a penchant for stories that reflect real-life situations. He narrates his stories irrespective of their commercially viability at the box office. His new feature film, Kamali, highlights the persisting problem of female foeticide. Sastry tells his story through a Lambada woman, played by Nandita Das. Both Sastry and Nandita feel that such films should create an impact, and awards are mere by-products.

Making a low-budget film has many constraints, Sastry admits. "We are unable to afford even a video assistant (a monitor that helps the unit check the shot soon after the filming)," he says. Talking about Kamali, her first Telugu film, Nandita says, "I heard this powerful story from Sastry and saw a documentary on the plight of the girl child. I agreed to act. People tell me that I've done my rural characters - like in Bhawandar or my recent Marathi film directed by Chitra Palekar. But you can't label all urban and rural women in one slot."

Kamali is based on recent incidents where the girl child is sold for a meagre sum. "People are willing to sell the child for a measly sum of Rs. 200 or Rs. 300. Why is it that only girl children go missing from the hospitals? I have newspaper clippings of such incidents and I intend to use them in the film," explains Sastry.

Both Sastry and Nandita agree on the universal appeal of such films. "For instance, when Bhawandar was screened in Chicago, a woman walked up to me and said a similar incident had taken place in one of her friend's life," recollects Nandita. Sastry agrees, "The story of Tiladaanam was also universal and many people outside AP have also identified with the film."

But will films like these serve their purpose if they fail to reach the larger section of the audience? "Well, we do need more support. Even in multiplexes, it's become a phenomenon of the big fish eating the smaller ones. If such films are supported, they will also be better made. Meaningful movies needn't be dark, boring and pretentious. I've done a lot of films that I believed in and when some of them don't succeed, we can't even get them on DVD. But should we stop making such movies?" asks Nandita. Her other recent film, Provoked, is an example of good marketing. Backed by Jagmohan Mundra, Aishwarya Rai and its screening at the Cannes, the film is already being talked about. Nandita plans to direct a feature film soon and is also making a documentary on Mercy Mathew, a social worker. "The documentary will show that we can make daring choices," she says.

Finally, she says about her choice of films where content matters more than money, "You don't need much for bread and butter; you'll need more only for wine and cheese. I grew up watching movies that have good content and hence can relate to them better."

SANGEETHA DEVI. K

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