IFFK Day-4

I could not forgive myself for missing Pulijanmam, a Malayalam movie directed by Priyanandanan, who made a stunning debut some years before with the movie Neythukaran. My reasoning was that I get to see Malayalam movies some other time also. So I must stick on with the other language movies. Anyway, skipping Pulijanmam was a mistake, now I realize. Well, let me translate what Priyanandanan told to a correspondent of IFFK Daily Bulletin about his films and views as a consolation.

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My films are a jump cut from drama: Priyanandanan

I was an artist who wanted to support a meaningful theatre. Even now I am a dramatist first. My metamorphosis from drama to films can be called a jump cut in film language or rather a high jump in common language. I am not qualified to talk about the distance or power difference between drama and film. But I know one thing: Every creation should be truthful and sincere. I realize from my own experience that good films, as in the case of good dramas, do not have even a ‘noon show’ possibility in Kerala.

My films are not merely mine alone. I consider them as wholesome products of creative association [of various artists]. I would like to proudly state that none of my films is a product of establishment’s capital. They represent an attempt to overcome the notion that film is an art of capital.

My films drew energy from the strength of my theatre experience and heat of my personal experiences. I have slept in streets and in bus stands. These experiences midwifed my film and drama ideas. All my creative endeavors are an effort to recreate my hidden emotional experiences and faded memories. The untold miseries, curses that got struck in the throat, feelings and emotions that never come out of the mind, these things are the subjects of my films. I would like to become a film maker who slowly walks through the rugged paths, enjoying the breeze and the sun and gently removing the thorns that struck on the feet. I have only one thing to say to those who newly venture into the film field: This is a very difficult path. Go ahead with struggle and pain.

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I could not attend the film festival today. Too much work pressure in the office. Tomorrow I am going, come what may. I am planning to see Paradise Now and A Perfect Afternoon. Hope it will be a nice day.