Megha Murali

    K Vishwanath is a legend – Director, Screenwriter, Actor and a complete epitome of Telugu Film Industry who has presented the true essence of class in all his movies. Intense stories, meaningful portrayals, strong women, social subjects with depth – all these were neatly packaged and presented under his direction and story. Perhaps, K Vishwanath has set his own niche in film making in the industry that no one can take over. I happened to watch 3 of his most famous movies last weekend. I watched the ‘S’ series, which was Sankarabharanam, Sagara Sangamam and Subhalekha all of which comprises music, dance and romance. I couldn't resist myself from writing about them. S ankarabharanam shares the story of a rare and exceptional bond between the master of classical music Sankara Sastry and his admirer Tulasi, a woman from a family of prostitutes.The movie deals with the character of Sankara Sastry, who devotes his heart and soul to Sangeet. At the height of popularity, he meets Tula

  Jabbar Patel's directorial venture ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’ (2000), starring Mammootty, Sonali Kulkarni and Mohan Gokhale among others, explores multiple themes associated with the struggle for elementary human rights in India by weaving threads of caste, class, gender, religion, education, freedom, ethics and justice into a poly-chromatic tapestry that provides food for thought. The viewer is introduced to a long period of pre and post-colonial Indian history through the lens of the subaltern, building a contradictory picture of Indian nationalism as merely an imagined community (Benedict Anderson) constructed by dominant forces during tremendous socio-political flux. It is fascinating to note that the life struggle of an oppressed man determined to seek justice and freedom for his community can be so inspirational for the viewer, who may or may not have any connection with his caste identity. It makes one realize that this resistance between the dominant and subordinate groups

Not many know that Kasaragod, a northern district of Kerala known for its conservative culture, hosted a film festival 25 years ago. Over the years, however, such events became scarce. Even night shows in theatres were stopped in the district some years ago. But three years ago, film buffs in the region found reason to cheer as cinema came back to the district in a big way. Kasargodinoridam (a space for Kasaragod), a gathering of film and culture enthusiasts, has been conducting an annual international film festival for the past three years. The festival is named Frames- Kasaragod International Film Festival (KIFF) and will be held on December 30 and 31 this year. The festival, mostly run on crowdfunding, is an avenue for people to familiarize themselves with the world of parallel cinema. The gathering was formed as a Facebook group in 2015 and registered as an NGO in 2017. Seven friends from the district formed the group; five are working in Gulf countries while two live in Kasaragod.