Art with a Purpose

Art with a Purpose

Two mothers, three temples and one river with its constant stream of anonymous mourners, in an eternal quest for peace. All this is brought alive in Kerala film director Jayaraj's latest offering, Shantam, which premiered in Mumbai this week.

The Thirunavaya setting was ideal for the theme. As is constantly reiterated in the film, this was where the legendary Mamangam wars took place, where once a suicide squad gave up their lives to protect the authority of a king. The battle is now enacted every 12 years, in the presence of symbolic flags. The temple site comprises three temples: of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. And as one character remarks, "As a sign of these destructive times, the Brahma (the Creator) temple is hardly visited. Between all this, is the river flowing with the memories of old wars".

A simple tale, which unfolds to reveal universal ramifications -- this sentiment weaves through all of Jayaraj's recent films. This engineering graduate was lured into the celluloid world, after attending an international film festival in Thiruvananthapuram. "Films like Bicycle Thief still haunt me," smiles Jayaraj, who initially worked under Bharathan in Chennai, to pick up the ropes. Ten `mediocre' commercial films later, he decided to take a break, and returned in '96 in his new avatar.

His first award-winning venture, Deshadanam (three National Awards, nine film critics awards and six international festivals), captures the emotional filial conflict when a young boy is chosen to become a sanyasi. It also brings to life the distinctive Namboodiri (Brahmin) way of life -- both in detail and in spirit. This was followed by Kaliyattam (two national awards and nine international festivals), a re-telling of Othello, where the ritualistic masks of this folk tradition, depict the duality of the human and the divine, love and jealousy, good and evil. His next film, Karunam (the Golden Peacock at the International Film Festival of India and participated in six other festivals) saw an awakening of Jayaraj's social conscience. This moving film brought to light an increasingly common phenomenon -- aged parents of young people living abroad, alone and neglected.

Shantam, with its strong social theme, also succeeds in evoking traditions handed down through generations: from the teaching of Vedic scriptures to tribulations of young boys, to the last rite ceremonies. "These age-old values are important. We should be proud of our own culture. So if they are dying out today, I try to keep them alive in my films," he says. He strongly feels the presence of God in his films, citing the unexpected appearance of the dragon-fly (said to represent the soul) which became central to the climatic scene. "I believe it was Nature's contribution, in a place where a lot of mothers have cried for their lost children," he offers.

The second of Jayaraj's Navarasa seies (the first was Karunam), Shantam is replete with gentle imagery, be it the fallen rice scattered across the murder scene, the constant cawing of crows (believed to be the souls of ancestors), the coming together of lamp-bearing widows, when the two mothers finally find the way to peace or the constant drip of rain droplets. "I'm obsessed with rain," smiles the director, who waited for the monsoons to find expression against this backdrop. "Here, it's the calm after a big rain. My next film may capture the violence and vibrancy of thunder and lightening."

As in his earlier films, Jayaraj etches each character with great care --from the soothing presence of the senior Elayad, performer of rites and counsellor; to the nameless revolutionary-turned-penitent who questions the absence of rites to save the souls of survivors. "In all my films, more than professional actors, I am looking for real people who suit the role," Jayaraj says, who even cast a mentally-challenged old man as the protagonist in Karunam. "Sometimes I'm just passing by in a car, when I spot a suitable face. This has actually proved to be an advantage as I neither have to chase stars, nor have to cut down their images," he insists. Which explains why arguably the country's finest footballer was cast in one of the lead roles. "I'm a fan of Vijayan and have always been attracted to his face -- it has a universal appeal," he elaborates, adding that he will also be taking the film to football-centric Kolkata. "Of course, Vijayan is not camera-shy, he's used to facing a crowd. In fact, afterthe first few scenes, he started improvising on his own," he says. As for Seema Biswas, after watching Bandit Queen and Hazar Chaurasi ki Maa, he felt her vibrancy and "inner thirst" were incomparable. "She picked up the dialogues so easily. She was changing even while she was acting and blended so well. Many people came up and said she looked just like their mothers!" he applauds.

With this film now ready for release Jayaraj is hoping for audience appreciation, rather than critical acclaim. "After Karunam, I had young people coming up to tell me that they had canceled reservations in old-age homes for their parents. Some NRI's even contemplated a return to India. If Shantam reaches out to even one person, if even one mother's son is saved, then I am satisfied," he declares. Meanwhile, in the midst of festival-hopping (Karunam is featuring in Chicago and Berlin), Jayaraj also hopes to take the film to the Cannes festival. While he's quick to admit that an award at the latter would be a dream come true., he is already thinking ahead. "I am planning to continue the Navrasa series, maybe with Shringara next. But the time between two films is filled with laziness -- when one is toying with different subjects. I am enjoying the lull," smiles a content Jayaraj.