Film on father of Malayalam cinema, first heroine ready

Thiruvananthapuram: A documentary film on J C Daniel, considered as the father of Malayalam cinema, and the first heroine P K Rosy, is all set for screening.

The 58-minute movie is produced by Magic Lantern and directed by Kiran Ravindran, film scholar and author. The script has been penned by Kiran with the support of film historian Kunnukuzhi Mani. According to Kiran, instead of being a mere narration of the lives of Daniel and Rosy, the movie is conceived as a touching portrayal of the sufferings of a person who had to make great sacrifices for his commitment to cinema in the early decades of the 20th century. Equally touching was the story of Rosy, who had to literally flee her home, being hounded by the `moral brigades` of the time who could not digest the idea of a Dalit woman essaying the role of an upper class lady in Daniel`s movie "Vigathakumaran" (The lost child). Daniel, who hailed from an affluent family at Agastheeswaram in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu (part of princely state of Travancore then), made the first silent movie of Travancore in 1928, with Rosy as its heroine. Though it scripted history, the movie was destined to end in disaster when it was screened in Capitol theatre here on November 7, 1928 as a section of viewers turned violent on seeing the local Dalit woman in the lead role. PTI