It is unfair to talk of only one film given his perceptive work across different backdrops and motifs. Yet, his film Ozhivu Divasathe Kali never lets you lose focus on its Dhruv-like place of pride in world cinema. Based on Unni R's short story, Ozhivu .... is a matter-of-fact depiction of social hypocrisies and political undercurrents that seep through seemingly playful happenings and interactions, rising above the surface of an inorganically engineered calm at the slightest provocation amid conducive circumstances.
On the face of it, five friends - Dharman, Vinayan, Thirumeni, Ashokan, and Dasan - let themselves loose in the serene environs of a ramshackle country guesthouse on a rainswept election day, relishing several rounds of alcohol, a sumptuous meal of jackfruit, chicken curry, and pickle, and a series of lewd attempts to 'woo' the lady cook hired for the ocassion. The influential Dharman is the quintessential aggressor armed with a feudal mindset, Vinayan is seemingly the voice of the underdog, Thirumeni is a Brahmin who wants to have all the fun without losing even an ounce of his high-caste sancitity, Ashokan is an opportunist with hardcoded notions about life and its ways, and the good natured Dasan is the team's dark-skinned companion, more of a man Friday than a friend. In the course of time, the banter between the five embraces all 'booze-time' pet topics with open arms - landmark political events, the coitus dynamic, cherished hallmarks of manliness and feminity, casteist slurs et al. Deep-rooted resentments come to the fore and tempers run high, but they are tamed just in time for more booze and a childhood game with adult improvizations to break the growing monotony.
It is this game that has the staple hirearchies seamlessly fall in place through ingenious arrangements, mirroring the facade, fallacies, and fatalites of our democracy. The game has the Dalit friend - all along the object of ridicule and a picture of servitude - pay the price both in life and death. However, the fag-end gruesome act is only metaphorically convincing, not logically; one wonders how and why should the four end up claiming the life of the vulnerable fifth, however inebirated they may have been, and however ingrained their feudal and predatory instincts may have been. If it was meant to be an accident, it hardly looks like one; the foursome effort looks very much a conscious act to claim the life of Dasan, the low-caste protagonist, which appears highly ludicrous, given the physical strength of the latter. The brutal kick that one of them lands on Dasan's body immediately following the game's verdict had already created the desired impact on screen. The end would have seemed more plausible had the director shown one of the four, probably the Brahmin Thirumeni, throwing in a word of caution at the eleventh hour, in line with his meek and hypocritical ways, and the rest of the three yet persisting with their lunancy under the influence of alcohol. The death can only be justified cinematically as an act in the heat of the moment, which surely demanded a better build up than what is shown to us. This loose end, however, takes nothing away from the enduring significance of this masterpiece motion picture of astute direction, awesome cinematography, optimal music, intelligent editing, and last but not the least, splendid performances by all players.
The poignant frame of Dasan rendering a rustic impression of the famous Oglala Laokota verse "When I'm born I'm black, when I grow up I'm black, when I'm in the sun I'm black, when I'm sick I'm black, when I die I'm black" is one pivotal point in the film. Even as Dasan gives vent to his emotions, none of the others including the pseudo secular Vinayan lends a listening ear. That pretty much sums up the sorry state of our democratic affairs in one stroke.
Meet Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the maker of Ozhivu Divasathe Kali who graciously agreed to an interaction with me on the film, as also his incredible life story and cinematic trials and triumphs.
From Zoology and Law to filmmaking, your career strides are themselves very cinematic. Could you share the highpoints of this exciting voyage?
That is an interesting question. The trigger for this tortuous journey was the tug-of-war between the circumstances in which I was born and brought up and my dream of 'cinema' that was indigestible to those around me. I was born in a very poor family background. My childhood was full of sicknesses which aggravated the economic hurdles inherent in the family. My illness, from polio to liver inflammation, and the hospitalizations for treatment, left my father exhausted. By the time I was 8-9 years old, my father got a government job and our living conditions improved. But my childhood dream of making films was not something that my parents could digest. They wanted to me to become a doctor. But somehow the desire for cinema deeply penetrated my heart. In our village there was a C class theatre named 'Geetha'. Though our family's financial conditions were bad, my father was a cinephile and he regularly took us to see movies. Maybe that's how the affinity with cinema grew within me. But from the day I revealed my desire to become a film-maker to my father, a fight began between us. The gap between my father's desire to see me as a doctor and my desire to become a film-maker was indescribable. I couldn't take a leap directly into my dream. That's the reason why I got into cinema through the circuitous route of zoology and law and many other things. After finishing my school, I had decided that my path is cinema, but my father was adamant that I should become a doctor, so I was compelled to choose science group for pre-degree. When I failed the medical entrance exam, I took up Zoology for graduation due to my interest in Biology. My father also agreed for that because he thought that I will be able to write medical entrance after graduation in Zoology. But while studying, I was intensely trying to become an assistant director. Unfortunately all my attempts to get into films as an assistant to some film directors also failed. Every one dismissed my passion for cinema as an adolescent swagger. At that time, I read in some magazine that Mammootty stepped into cinema with the reputation of being a lawyer. Suddenly I felt that I should become a lawyer first and gather some reputation. Ever since I can remember, I have had this urge to finally make it into cinema. But I soon realized that my assumption that becoming a lawyer would convince directors to engage me as an assistant, was also wrong. That's how I formed a film society called 'Kazha' with my friends and made a short film under its umbrella, and thus set foot on my dream. The idea of making my first short film titled “Athisayalokam” with people's contribution was triggered by the biography of John Abraham that I had read in my college days.
Your filmography deserves comprehensive coverage but I can't help focusing on one gem in particular: Ozhivu Divasathe Kali.
"Ozhivudivasathe Kali" is my second film. My first film 'Oralpokkam' was actually the most difficult film for me to execute. The first film is the biggest challenge for any film-maker. I approached many people with the stories in my mind, but no one came forward to make it into a film. When I got tired of writing many screenplays and talking to many people, I came up with the idea of making my first film as a crowd-funded one. Although it was very difficult, “Orallpokkam” was completed well. But I had to face huge struggle to get the film watched. Most of the contributors were holding a leftist ideology and somebody started a propaganda that my film is projecting right wing ideas. Hence, even those who contributed for the film initially ignored it. But fortunately the film came into life after it won the Netpac and FIPRESCI awards at IFFK. Once “Oraalppokkam” was noticed I started get some positive vibes that it is not difficult for me to do a second film. A few well-known actors and producers hinted their interest to do a film with me if there is a good story suiting them. However, I was interested in making independent films with lesser-known actors on a very small budget as I believed that my aim was not a star-centric commercial cinema.
I had read Unni R’s story long ago. Although it is a very short story, I felt that some of the deep thoughts hidden between its lines and settings can be presented more starkly if it is made into a film. When I told this story to Shaji Mathew, who was the production partner of the movie "Orallpokkam", he said that he can produce it. It required a budget of less than ten lakh rupees. I could see the title of the story "Ozhivudivasathe Kali" (a game on an off-day) and the game of lotts in its content as related to the game of elections in our democratic setup. Therefore, I decided to set the film as a story that takes place on an election day. That is how the shooting started in the last days of the by-election campaign at place called Aruvikkara. The search for the film's prime location began days after the election campaign was shot. Nistar Ahmed, who played the role of Dharman in the film, was an officer of the Water Authority. He is the one who took me to the guest house near Peppara Dam which became the prime location of the movie. In fact, the film is fully formed in my mind only after reaching that location. In all my films, the scenes are perfected by using the possibilities of the location, but in this film, it can be said that the location itself guided the film.
Actors also joined the film almost in the same way. I am someone who doesn't like to look at acting as technical art. I believe that all human beings act in one way or another in life. Presenting one person to another is essentially acting. In all interactions one's emotional state is presented to another. I think all human beings are good actors because it is a continuous process in life. It is with this perspective that I choose the actors for the film. So casting is a relatively easy process for me. I have a feeling that if a person comes in front of me with a look that I have in mind, I can extract good acting from him. So most of the actors in the off day game were either newbies or had not much acting experience. All are friends or brought by friends.
Almost the entire crew of the technical department of 'Ozhivudhivasthe Kali' was the same people from the movie 'Orallpokkam'. Indrajith who handled the camera, Sandeep Kurishery and Jiji Joseph who did the sound recording, Basil CJ who did the music and Murugan who was the art director were all there. Unlike 'Oralpokkum', the film did not face any financial difficulties as it had a producer.
The film's construction consisted of a lot of single-shots, so there were some technical hurdles we had to sort out. Entire second half of the film is conceived as a single shot. It is about 43 minutes long second half. Our camera did not allow us to shoot for 43 minutes at a stretch. Therefore, we shot that portion in pieces and stitched together. Basically what was meant by single-shot was that the emotional flow of the film should not be interrupted by cuts. We managed to do it that way but there were a lot of problems due to the small scale production setup and technical limitations. I tried to make good use of such limitations to supplement my idea about the structure of this film. I had the vision of making the audience feel that 'this is not a movie' and it worked well.
Is the film loosely based on the short story, or is it a mirror-image adaptation, loyal to the story end to end?
There is a lot of difference between my movie and the short story by Unni R. It was a revelation that came to my mind when I read the short story first that it is possible to read it as a critical reflection of the election politics in the democratic system. Perhaps what stands out in the short story and the film is Dalit politics and the predominant display of patriarchy.
But I felt that at the crux of the story is the question of how silly is our approach to the election process of our rulers, which is the most important thing in a democratic society and an insightful hint to were we are heading in consequence. That's all I took from that story. But as that is the soul of the story, that is also the soul of the film. All external elements of the film are different from the story. The location, characters, incidents, everything is different.
Apart from your astute direction and wonderful acting by all players, the offbeat Canon 1 DC-powered cinematography and minimal background score (esp. the poignant strings in the tragic fag-end scene) leave one postively intrigued about many larger truths of life that are by choice kept under wraps.
Indrajith , who handled the camera for my first film 'Oralpokkam', did the same for 'Ozhivudhivasthe Kali'. 'Oralpokkam' was Indrajith's first film. As I mentioned earlier, I had a vision from the very beginning that ‘Ozhivudivasathe Kali’ should not feel like a film to the audience, despite the film's plot and artistic touches. It was decided that the camera should be more of an observer than a tool and act as the lazy viewer's eyes. The result is the offbeat cinematography you mentioned. Basil CJ, who composed the background music for 'Orallpokkum', also composed the music for 'Ozhivudayasthe Kali'. Basil also started his film journey with 'Orallpokkam'. He has taken a very different approach in this film from the music in 'Oralpokkam'. Background music is used only in three places in this film. Basil's music has the quality of overflowing suppressed emotions. He has managed to make the intense shock at the end of the slow progression of the story tenfold effective.
You clearly believe in minimal edits as is evident from the indulgent camera in Ozhivu... where every scene comes alive as naturally as possible. Could you elaborate on the trials and triumphs of your adopted style? How easy or difficult is it to put into practice?
I have said that my basic idea was to shoot and show life without editing in the movie 'Ozhivudhivasthe Kali'. But it is not that easy. No matter how hard you try, the acting becomes dramatic or at least cinematic. Shooting film like life can be quite a challenge, even if you take care to minimize cinematic efforts with the camera. After watching “Ozhivudivasathe Kali”, many people criticized it saying that 'it is not a movie'. They accused us of simply leaving the camera open for a while and recording something rubbish around. I felt that was a great compliment to me.
People reacted so, because such an approach has not been seen much in Malayalam cinema. But slowly they probed deep into its soul. For the approach taken in this film to be successful, the first thing that was necessary was for the actors to completely forget the camera. The knowledge that they were being shot brought the technical acting into them, albeit unconsciously. Due to this mess, all the visuals shot in the first four to five days were scrapped. But as the day went by, all the actors and technicians caught the rhythm of the film. The entire second half of the film was shot in a single day. A single take almost for every scene!
Which among your other films are closest to your heart? Are there any that did not please the maker in you?
All the movies I have done so far are my favourites. There are those that have been released, those that have won awards, those that have not been released and those that no one has seen. I have done only seven films so far. Of which Ozhivudivasathe Kali, Sexy Durga and Chola got some attention and viewers. Death of Insane, Kayattam and Vazhakk are not yet released. I feel that making films is a subconscious spiritual activity in my case. Therefore, I am not one to claim that these are my creations. The decisions I make while shooting are very intuitive. They cannot be considered rational. I often feel that the weather changes and confluences of events during the shoot work like magic in favour of the making process. My films are a coming together of all these logically unexplainable things. Therefore, it is not right to say that “I” created it. It is probably fair to say that each of my films has changed me a little. If you want, you can say that my films made me. So an objective review of my films is not possible for me.
Any film makers - Indian and International - that you admire?
Until I came to Thiruvananthapuram city to study law, I never got to see any of the art films in theatres that I wished to see. None of the films I have seen from Geetha Theater have influenced me as a maker. During my childhood, Doordarshan used to show national award-winning films on Sundays at 11 am. There were movies of Adoor and Aravindan in it. They got me hooked to art cinema initially. It was from IFFK that I started watching my favourite kind of films in my kind of making patterns while studying in Thiruvananthapuram Law College. Polish director Kieslowski's films have influenced me a lot. Michael Haneke's films have also penetrated deep into the subconscious. Tarkovsky's films pervade my mind like poems whose lyrics have been forgotten.
What is your take on mainstream cinema in India?
We had an indie film festival running parallel to IFFK for few years when I was working at Kazhcha film society. I used to watch a lot of movies from across all languages for its selection. I haven't been watching movies much lately. It is because of my inconvenient physical reality through which I am travelling now. So I am very ignorant about what is happening in the current cinema. Every now and then, when I notices any discussion about a new movement in the independent cinema, I try to watch it out of curiosity to know what it is. Sometimes I also watch movies sent by my friends. I know people may misunderstand me as arrogant when I say this. But not watching cinema is not something to be claimed proudly. I mentioned it only because you asked this question.
How do you view the OTT space?
I envision a movie as something where a lot of people sit together in a space and watch it on a big screen. There is a very big difference between OTT and theatre. While theatre represents the breadth of a community in which you have no option to pause and fast forward, OTT is a narrow, private space with your own remote control over the cinema. In theatre Cinema controls you and in OTT you control cinema. But in today's scenario, no one can rule out the potential of OTT. Due to some recent developments in my life, I have decided not to do films for the time being. If I ever resume making movies, it's unlikely to be for OTT.
Going forward, what are your plans and priorities?
Some scandalous rumours have been spread against me for the last two years which have also been used to suppress my films. I presumed this was the outcome of my open personal opinions on political issues. But later I realized that was not the point. I sense an attack on my films from a mafia ruling the Malayalam commercial cinema industry. It was from the time I made the film 'Karyam' that the moves started targeting me personally and my films as a whole. A few months ago, I was arrested in a false case of allegedly harassing the actress in Kayattam by proposing to her. Although the conspiracies behind it are very clear, and I have filed several complaints seeking an investigation, none of them are being investigated because of the strong nexus between the powers-that-be and the film industry mafia. Given the circumstances, I have made a decision that I will not do any more films until the charges against me are proved false.
Photo credits: Sanal Kumar Sasidharan