Vanaprastham Cannes Film Festival

VANAPRASTHAM - SHAJI N KARUN - CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The Cannes Film Festival committee declared '500 names that made Cannes' so far and the Malayalam film director Shaji. N. Karun shares the honor of being one among the names along with three other Indians - Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Sashi Kapoor. His latest work Vanaprastham will be screened at the 52nd Cannes Film Festival in Certain Regard, a non competition category.

Set in the 1950's, Vanaprastham imparts certain experiences of a Kathakali artiste who faces an identity crisis in mid-life. Shaji uses the fascinating world of Kathakali, the classical art form of Kerala to present the theme - a latent dysfunction of the manmade product money.

"A dog never tries to become a cat or a lion. But a human being tries constantly to become something that he is not. Such trials along with the passion for success and money leads to this psychological crisis. Somewhere on the way playing the various roles set by society a man loses his identity", says Shaji.

Noted Malayalam actor Mohan Lal portrays the character who feels he has completed his mission in life and is at a crossroads not knowing where he should go next. "I am not a story teller, so telling stories is my last priority", says Shaji about his film making. The film also documents the lives of living legends of Kathakali including Shri. Mattannoor Shankarankutty, Shri. Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair and Shri. Kalamandalam Gopi.

In Indian Philosophy, 'Vanaprastham' is the third of the four ashramas or stages in a man's life - Brahmacharya or bachelorhood, Grihastha or married life, Vanaprastha or retirement to the forest and Sanyasa or renunciation of all wordly interests.

Vanaprastham is an Indo-French collaboration, produced by Pierre Assolin and actor Mohanlal's Pranavam Arts. Cinematography is by Renato Berta and dialogue by Raghunath Paleri. Zakir Hussain, the renowned tabla artiste has composed the music and Beuno Thariel of France, the sound effects.

Review of the Film

"Vanaprastham" is an ode to subtlety. It is clearly an Indian movie in the traditional sense of the word, which style is easy to compare to that of Satyajit Ray's films. It has the depth, the pace, and combines traditional Indian culture with Kathakali and deep human drama. Kathakali is a type of dance/stage drama, which comes from the Southern state of Kerala, and is expressed through the subtle performance of its actors, as a way to articulate emotions, by small movements of the face and body. It is based on centuries old Sanskrit plays, which incorporate sacred texts like the Mahabarata. The film is centered on a Master of Kathakali, Kunhikuttan, who as a fatherless child of a poor servant girl, began to learn the art as a way of feeding his family. We later understand, that one of the reasons for Kunhikuttan's constant emotional suffering, and thus, the mastering of his art, is the lack of a father figure. His art is so powerful, that a young woman falls in love with one of the characters he portrays, and bears his child. But reality is not a play, and she refuses Kunhikuttan to see his son, whom she considers is the son of the actual character Kunhikuttan portrays. The film is before anything else, a deep meditation on fiction and reality, and illustrates the need for certain classes to combine the two. In fact, as much as the art of Kathakali is subtle, the reality is crude and brutal. In actuality, Kunhikuttan's unknown father is the lord of the domain in which he lives; his mother's master. The young woman who bears Kunhikuttan's child, is a princess living in delusion, impassioned by mythological characters. All are heavy subjects to deal with, which will give everyone who sees this film, a lot to think about. The talent of the director comes across in his subtle bringing to light of all of these intricate emotions. Of course for a Western audience most likely ignorant of the subtleties of Kathakali and unaccustomed to the Indian Cinema, the director's subtlety will be of no help. A fascinating reflection on art and reality.