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Wednesday, 14 September 2011

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Film Appreciation:

ICC and film screening

On September 9 the ICC (Indian Cultural Council) in Colombo held its first meeting of the ‘Friends of ICC’ with the patronage of the Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha. Several VIPs in Colombo from different fields of activity were present at the centre housed at 16/ 2 Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7.

Paradesi

Ore Kadal

Apart from other activities beneficial to both Lankans and Indians, the ICC is also planning to screen outstanding films made in the major languages in India –both classics and contemporary.

That’s good. Most Lankans do not realise that India does produce not only Hindi and Tamil films, but also quite a number in indigenous languages. And some of those films are artistically made. I can vouch for this statement because having been a student of film appreciation at the prestigious Pune Film Institute and a regular delegate at the IFFI (International Film Festival of India) and the KIFF (Kerala State International Film Festival) for more than two decades I could speak with some firsthand knowledge and enjoyment.

In this week’s column, I wish to suggest some recent Indian regional films that the ICC can screen even in the DVD form at the Centre.

Most of such films have adult themes which probe into different aspect of human relationship that had not been discussed or portrayed or depicted. In that sense they extend the range of experience without being perverse or vulgar.

However, when the 21st century has opened the windows very widely through most modern modes of communication thus prompting among educated and learned people to see things with an intellectual perception, these films too can be shown to limited audiences acquainted with artistic and serious cinema. On the other hand well-made popular entertainers among such films from India - the Bollywood, Kollywood and Tollywood kind - could be shown to the masses thus making them happy. As a literary and film critic, I avoid as far as possible to retell in full the storyline and instead concentrate on aspects of cinema in a historical context and mainly try to express my personal reactions to the films seen. But in this instance too I shall give briefly the themes of the films recommended.

First let us take a few Malayalam films. Paradesi (The Foreigner) Dilemma of an 80 year old Malayalee who had worked in Karachi during the British India treated as a Pakistan spy in India on his return since he did not possess an Indian passport although his family members are all Indian citizens.

Thaniye (Alone) The unexpected revival of a dying old man that defies the machinations of his relatives to swindle his wealth at his death bed, and the sincerity of his nurse who revived his health with dedication.

Kaiyoppu (Signature) is about the attempt of a writer to get his unfinished novel published and his relationship with a female college friend who admires his writing. She meets him after her marriage had failed.

Ore Kadal (The Sea Within) - An unmarried intellectual who is alcoholic encounters life with a happily married young woman who leaves her husband to be with the elder intellectual. Unni (Life is all about friends) - The common concern of a high caste Malayalee boy and his low caste school friends transcending barriers.

These are not all in Malayalam, there are many more from outstanding Malayalam directors. They too could be considered screening here.

I learnt that C V Sreeraman was a very prominent writer in Malayalm. His five short stories had been translated into the cinematic medium. They too can be enjoyed by the Lankans. The films are: Purushartham (directed by K R Mohanan), Chidambaram and Vasthuhara (directed by Aravindan), Ponthanmada (directed by T V Chandran). The latter film was composed of two short stories by Sreeraman.

Of the above four films I enjoyed thoroughly the two films by Aravindan and mildly the film made by T V Chandran.

The films made in Dravidian languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Aryan languages like Bengali, Hindi, Marati, Gujerati, Oriya, Assameese, Kashmiri, Konkani and Sanskrit could also be shown here.

Besides the full length feature films, short films and documentaries too could be made available from India.

The ICC, while helping us to see great Indian films should make it possible to see outstanding Lankan Sinhala feature films and notable Lankan Tamil and Sinhala short films to wider audiences in the Indian subcontinent.

Films apart, literature and fine arts too could be exchanged among us people in the southern hemisphere. [email protected]
 

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