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A poet's angst

TANIKELLA BHARANI makes a stunning directorial debut

Sira is a very mature and thoughtful film and Tanikella Bharani's first attempt at direction and production. Sira in Telugu means ink, and has a great deal of resonance in these times of global terrorism.

The surrealistic account of a poet's life is presented in a very balanced manner with his consort aiding him in the pursuit of global peace.

The poet played by Bharani is shown as living in abject poverty with his wife Jhansi whose unconditional love helps him in putting the fragmented pieces of the world together.

The 27.55-second film opens with the protagonist burying a stick and watering it, smelling earth under a vast sky, feeding birds in hope of nurturing nature.

For the poet the ink is like the blood, the energy that runs in his body and he lives in a dilapidated structure trying to write whilst the pen runs dry and his thoughts race like a horse.

The surroundings are all black, grey and almost void and a huge wall clock sways while the skull represents his conscience, suggesting that it had been there since history took shape.

Abstract note

Tanikella Bharani, a writer and an artiste from Telugu cinema for over 23-years, had been a lecturer of mime and expresses why he had chosen this subject for his work.

"Since childhood I had been fascinated with the abstract and wanted to do something universal and this was something that happened on the spur of the moment.

Directorial debut

Of his debut in direction he says, "I kept this a secret for a long time. Only after it was screened and won the awards I brought it here to show it to my people. I am happy that the essence has been understood and the fact that a poet's life and his role in society is respected."

The actor is full of praise for the Hyderabad Film Club for organising the Hyderabad International Film Festival 2007 and makes an earnest plea to the government to help the Club bring out the creative energies of many Hyderabadis.

THOUGHTFUL FARE `Sira' is a surrealistic account of a poet's life, also played by the director Tanikella Bharani

This film was shot in just three days and had won the `best anti-terrorism message award' at the Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival.

Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY

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