Hyderabad: The highly anticipated anthology series, Manorathangal, which includes nine films written by Jnanpith Award-winning author and filmmaker MT Vasudevan Nair, will be released soon. After three years of making, this project has brought together a cadre of directors, among them Shyamaprasad, who helms the segment titled Kazhcha from the anthology. Recently, the filmmaker discussed his experiences while working on the film with ETV Bharat.
Shyamaprasad said, "Well, as with any Malayali, I have grown up reading MT Vasudevan Nair's short stories, novels, and other articles. It is especially important to a filmmaker because MT is equally proficient in the medium of cinema as a screenplay writer and as well as a director. So most of his stories contain a lot of cinematic potential that way because it is very much tuned to the sensibility of modern cinema. Therefore, you know, it was a great opportunity when I was offered this project, especially this story called Kazhcha, which is one of his most recent ones."
He elaborated further on the narrative's uniqueness, stating, " And particularly because this is a female-centric story. Most of MT Vasudevan Nair's stories are based on male characters and their angst and their, you know, the material system of Kerala and so on. Whereas this has nothing to do with that. This is about the identity of a woman, a woman's self-discovery, so to speak. So I approached it in an entirely different way, even though the story is set in the late 90s. I could infuse the spirit of what a woman is searching for in today's life, in today's India, in today's Kerala and the kind of angst she goes through in terms of dealing with family, in terms of dealing with society and her own self."
The director stated that filmmaking serves as a profound channel for women's self-expression, allowing him the opportunity to collaborate with exceptionally talented actresses such as Parvathy Thiruvothu, alongside actors like Narain and Harish Uthaman. "Another highlight is that MT's wife Kalamandalam Saraswati is herself a very renowned dancer and teacher. She has acted for the first time in this film, in a very, very important role. So, in that way, I feel very gratified that I was able to do this and also find a different expression for an empty story. Parvathi is a very sensitive actor and she goes well into the depth of the character, through the various sessions of discussions we had on different aspects of that particular character," he said.
He noted that Parvathy is not someone who settles for simple explanations or surface-level insights regarding a character's motivations. Her pursuit of depth drives her to ask several probing questions, highlighting her commitment to authenticity. Shyamaprasad said that the film explores a more sensual aesthetic, both in its auditory elements and visuals, which led to extensive dialogues between them about these creative possibilities. Despite having auditioned her for other projects that never came to fruition, this collaborative experience was new for them, and they fostered a strong working relationship as they navigated the creative process together.