Malayalam film to be premiered in Montreal Film Festival

Thiruvananthapuram: Renowned film-maker Shaji N Karun is back with his new film `Kuttysrank` (Sailor of the hearts) after a long pause since his Mohanlal-starrer `Vaanaprastham` (The final dance). The ace Director, who has always lured cinema buffs with his distinct narrative technique tells the story of a mariner and his voyages through the eyes of three women, each of whom perceive him in different light.

Superstar Mammootty plays the central role of Srank (mariner) in the film, in which Kamalini Mukherjee, Padmapriya and Sri Lankan actress Meenakumari appear in the female roles. Produced by Reliance Big Picture, the first attempt of the mega production house in Malayalam, the movie is to be premiered at the Montreal Film Festival beginning on August 27, before its release in India. Shaji considers `Kuttysrank` as a different film in terms of theme, story pattern and visualisation. "I am happy that Mammootty is doing the lead role in my film. Reliance is producing it and for the first time in Malayalam, a woman cinematographer - Anjali Shukla, a product of Film and TV Institute of India (FTII), Pune - is handling the camera," he told reporters. `Kuttysrank` deals with the identity crisis of `Srank`, the mariner who operates a cargo vessel through the backwaters of Kerala. A traveller by profession, no land is ready to accept him as its own and he is always dubbed a `Varuthan`, a stranger. The film explores how he ultimately gains recognition after death, through the perceptions of three women belonging to different lands. Shaji says "the movie, set in 1950s, is adaptable to any timeframe. I believe cinema is a sculpture carved out from time. A real film will fit any timeframe, because it is the truth. It has no past and future and what it only has is the present." Like in his earlier works, the Director brings novelty in narration in the new film also. "It is not a straightforward presentation of thoughts. The audience will get an opportunity to read the thoughts between the passing visuals," he said. He says such `grammar change` in narration is possible in films with a magical treatment, like in literature where some magical element makes one read between the lines. In casting too, the Director says he has tried to do justice to the story and script. Sranks body language and mannerisms demanded an actor like Mammootty in the title role. The film has three female characters through the views of whom the unknown self of `Srank` is being explored. They belong to different lands and social backgrounds - one is an aristocratic woman, the second belongs to the fisherfolk and the third is a dumb woman who can hardly express herself. For Harikrishnan, who did the script for `Kuttysrank along with PF Mathews, the greatest challenge was to adapt to the Director`s distinct narrative style, which was not at all linear. "The film develops through three seasons, three women, different terrains and a unique hero," he said. The protagonist in `Kuttysrank` undertakes two kinds of voyages - the backwater travels and the parallel inner voyage. The hard part for the Director and script-writer was to translate the inner journeys on to the screen, he said. Bureau Report