Malayalam short film to revive memories of Ray's 'Charulata'

Chennai (PTI): Inspired by Satyajit Ray's classic 'Charulata', a Kerala-based debutant director is attempting to revive memories of the legendary auteur's masterpiece through a Malayalam short film.

"I have been inspired by Ray's works and Charulata is one of them," said Sangeeta Padmanabhan, whose 20-minute film is based on 'Charulatayude Baaki'.

'Charulatayude Baaki' is a story from 'Jagarooka' a collection of stories of a contemporary Malayalam fiction writer Priya R S.

The film, shot in four days at Thiruvanathapuram, has Vineeth and Padmapriya in the lead roles, Sangeeta, who is currently busy with the post-production work, told PTI.

The sub-text of the story is based on 'Charulata'. It reflects the confusion in the mind of the central character, Amritha, an academically-forward woman about career, marriage and life as such.

The characters are rooted in the social cultural mosaic of Kerala and the story portrays the "institutional and relational aspects" of marriage, she said.

"The narrative has references to things ranging from film society movements in Kerala to Malayalam literature to the state of Malayalam film industry et al," she said.

Sangeeta plans to premier the movie at film festivals sometime in June. She is looking at a niche audience where one can easily relate to the characters.

"I want the film to be discussed and film festivals are a good platform. I hope people in general will appreciate the film and also see the original (Charulata) to understand the nuances."

Asked how she managed to rope in Vineeth and Padmapriya who are busy commercial artistes, Sangeeta said the script was read out to Vineeth, who "liked" it.

"Padmapriya, a good friend, had watched the script evolve and comprehended the character. She is a contemplative actor and delves deep into the character she is playing."

Vineeth, when contacted, said, "It is a bold theme..well planned, quite interesting."

Echoing his views, Padmapriya, who is essaying the role of the protagonist, said the character has a 'unique flavour.

"It is a story by Priya R S and the character draws its inspiration from Charulata. Besides the script has its own strengths," she said.

Sangeeta was working in a Malayalam TV channel for nine years before she switched to cinema.

Before embarking on her directorial venture, she had worked as associate director in Sunil Doshi's 'Waiting Room' and NFDC's 'White Elephant'.

Other members of the cast include Vanitha and Dinesh Pannikkar.