The story so far

This was a project commissioned by Doordarshan to make films on Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s writings as part of their Timeless Classics series,which attempted to compile works of writers in different languages. Though four chapters of the film tell stories independent of each other,they are connected by the theme of crime.

You had also adopted the episodic style for your previous film Four Women. Is it just a coincidence or are you keen on following this form of storytelling?
Four Women was the first film to be part of this project. I was free to select from the huge range of Pillai’s work,that includes 40 novels,400 short stories and other writings,for my cinematic adaptation. Four Women tells stories of women from different strata of the society. With each story,the women become more and more aware of their womanhood.

I have made very few films based on literary work. But these short stories give me the freedom to interpret them in the way I want and develop it as my own. There is no denying that the initial inspiration comes from literature in such cases.

Why do we not see your films being released outside Kerala despite the growing multiplex culture?
When National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) was set up,we had proposed to open special theatres to screen and promote good cinema in big cities to start with. The films would have travelled to smaller cities after that. Thus,the film would have made the money invested in it and a good film would have never gone unnoticed. But,the plan never took off.

Regional cinema needs an enterprising distributor. He shouldn’t go by the star system,but be driven by the passion for good cinema. However,he is yet to be born in India.

Haven’t TV channels and a growing number of film festivals helped promote regional films?
Festivals don’t help in promoting Indian cinema as most visitors want to watch foreign films. And the television channels for world cinema,have completely forgotten the good Indian movies which are very much part of world cinema.

That apart,regional films becomes Indian cinema only when it travels out of the country. These days Indian cinema means commercial movies. Even countries like Singapore,Thailand and Malaysia,which don’t have a long filmmaking tradition like ours,are producing excellent movies while we have given in to the demands of singing and swinging films.

The Marathi film industry has been churning out quality work for sometime now. Can this be a happy sign for regional cinema?
Some of the recent Marathi films are very good. The industry is getting the state government’s support and can be a model for others. However,there is no dearth of talent in India. We need to keep the creative energy high and nurture talents.

Are you still involved with film societies in Kerala?
I’m not anymore involved with that. One shouldn’t be doing the same thing throughout one’s life. Currently,I am very busy with the translation of my scripts,which Seagull is going to publish. It will also bring out translations of my writings on cinema.