After a long wait of 22 years, a Sanskrit movie is all set for release. ‘Priyamanasam’ is the world’s third Sanskrit feature film which is being produced after Bhagavad Gita which was released in 1993. The director of ‘Priyamanasam’, renowned Malayalam film-maker, Shri Vinod Mankara spoke to Organiser representative Ganesh Krishnan R about the making of his legendary movie.
I was intrigued by the elegance and beauty of Sanskrit language from my early childhood. I have learned Sanskrit at school level. And I had never missed a chance to watch Kathakali when I was a young boy which intensified my affection towards that language. By the way, I developed a habit of reading books, including Sanskrit literature. My fascination towards Kalidasa and Gita Govinda did also amount to the idea of making a Sanskrit movie. It was a long cherished dream which sprouted in my mind right from my college days. So far, only two Sanskrit feature films have been produced in the history of world cinema Adi Sankaracharya (1983) and Bhagavad Gita(1993), directed by G V Iyer. I had watched those movies with much enthusiasm when I was a student.
As soon as I conceived the idea of a Sanskrit movie I decided that the story of Unnayi Warrier should be the theme. I have studied ‘Nalacharitham’, written by Unnayi Warrier, at college level. And I had already made a documentary titled ‘Nalacharitham Ancham Divasam’ based on the eleven monologues picked from ‘Nalacharitham’. These eleven monologues are indeed the life of the poet Unnayi Warrier. I perceived it as the autobiography of the poet. I had a deliberation that my effort should deliver two things, the retention of the lost glory of Sanskrit language and imprint the life of the great poet Unnayi Warrier in the history.
Talking more about the theme, it developed through the inner crisis of the poet who had been restrained into the Travancore Palace for one year, persuaded to write an Attakkatha by King Marthanda Varma of the erstwhile Travancore Kingdom. While the history of most of his contemporary poets were well recorded, the history of Unnayi Warrier was not mentioned anywhere in the history. He is a forgotten literary figure which I consider as an injustice we have done to the great poet who played a significant role in laying the foundation stone of Malayalam literature.
Of course, I do. See the problem is, here people dub Sanskrit a dead language. But we must remember that the movie ‘Passion of the Christ’ was shot in Aramaic language. While Aramaic is a language which is confined into only 25 families, Sanskrit still enjoys a broad base with lakhs of speakers. Sanskrit still exists in many villages as a live language, thanks to the relentless efforts of Samskrita Bharati. I was never concerned about the market value of this movie as we can never envisage this subject in a commercial angle. There is a general apprehension that Sanskrit is a difficult language. But it is not true. You cannot point out another language which is as melodious as Sanskrit. Even the articulation of Sanskrit itself creates positive vibration in you. So language constraint, in general sense, is not a concern at all. For an instance, when I exhibited the movie before the Censor Board, there were six members to watch the film along with a Sanskrit language expert as none of the board members knew Sanskrit. After the show, I was surprised to see the overwhelming response from the members. They could ‘feel’ the movie. That moment, I realised that my efforts turned out to be a success.
I have not tried any such experiments in this film because I feared it may further keep the viewers away from the theatre. The language I used in this film is not beyond the comprehension of a common man. Characters speak rather simple and conversational variant of Sanskrit than the literary-erudite version used in G V Iyer’s film. Along with that, Kathakali Mudras (Hand gestures) have also been used as a medium of communication.
I have done nearly six years for research on Unnayi Warrier. Since there was no objective historical evidence existed, I had to rely on stories or myths. There was no other choice left. So I carved the story out of the eleven monologues which were sung by the characters like Nala, Damayanati, Hamsa etc. Generally the aforesaid monologues do not present on stage in Kathakali
I have to send it for international film festivals. I am working on that. If I get an opportunity to exhibit it in the Cannes Film Festival, it will be a great recognition. I have already submitted a print to Indian Panorama. It will be a big exposure to this film if it is showcased in International Film Festival of India, Goa. If so, it will be discussed on a wider platform. So far, no decision has been taken regarding the release of the movie. The only objective before me is to showcase the film all-over Bharat and abroad. It requires the support of the Central Government, concerned ministries especially the Ministry of I&B and Samskrita Bharati. We have so many Sankrit schools and universities. The teachers and students of those institutions can change the destiny of this movie and make it a big success. Foreign countries like Germany are also eagerly waiting for the film.
n Malayalam film industry is suffering from the intrusion of non-Bharatiya culture. How do you observe the contemporary Malayalam film industry in this backdrop?
Yes, of course, we are facing a large scale intrusion of western culture in Bharatiya film industry, in Malayalam film industry in particular. We are emulating, indeed celebrating, the culture which the West had thrown away decades ago. Now, there are no original works and no original thinking in Malayalam film industry. They are churning out mere replicas of Korean films by appending sex, drugs, abusive language etc into it. It is a temporary phenomenon which is never going to sustain. The enlightened viewers will always accept and encourage original works.
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