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Into the world of Gods and Goddesses
R. Sarath delves into the world of Gods and Goddesses in his pain stakinglycreated documentary - The Painted Epics of Kerala. In these times, it is not a fashionable subject to make a film, but the young director, who is with the public relations department of the State Government, chooses the right path. Sarath is clear in his intentions, of making a film that is above all, educative. There is no attempt at any fancy work.
"Outside the State, there is much curiousity about Kerala and its art forms but this film is for Keralites. Muals are our treasure but we might lose it completely due to our ignorance and neglect. The murals at the Vadakkumnathan temple at at Pandalam are an example. If my work succeeds in catalyzing any attempt to preserve these sacred wall paintings, I will be a happy man," says the director.
Sarath could have taken the easy option of shooting in 16 mm but this one is in 35 mm. "It was quite difficult shooting in the daylight as murals really come alive at night, when the temple lamps are lit. We have decided to make the film s representative as it can be. So it was locations in 15 days. You can well imagine how it would have been."
One interesting location was Kilimanoor. "We went to shoot in the family temple of the royal family of Kiliman oor. Raja Ravi Varma must have learnt the basics of his art from here. The family temple must have been his kalari. His uncle Raja Raja Varma, was his teacher and we could see fragments of paintings on the walls of the temple. One could sense neglect and many works by Ravi Varma had even been wh8itewshed. Of course, we could shoot from the entrance alone as only Brahmins could enter." Murals are so expressive that it has inspired many art forms, notably the rituals are of Koodiyattom and Kathakali. At night, in the brilliance of the temple lamps, it is almost as if characters from epics have come alive and are walking out for you. Vishnu, Krishna, Radha, Siva, Parvati, Rama, Sita, Indra, Lord Varaha as well as the Pandavas and the Kauravas are among the 'characters' here, and Sarth's work has managed to capture the hazy feel of myths and legends.
It is almost like a nostalgic trip into a world that many leave behind as they get on - with life in these times.
Sarath feels strongly about the exploitation of murals for commercial purposes. "There are books on studies on murals in Rajasthan but nothing much is known about the murals here. Now, we have murals being exploited for tourism purposes. Many schools have sprung up, producing poor reproductions which however fetch a nice price. This has to stop somehow."
The 'Painted Epics of Kerala' takes the viewer on a spiritual journey along the Triprayar temple, Vadakkumnathan temple, Ayyappankavu in Panjal, Kottakal temple, Peruvanam Siva temple, the Mattancherry Palace, Krishnapuram Palac e, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kilimanoor Palace, Pandavath Sastha temple, Ettumanoor, the Panayanarkavu in Mannar and the Pundareekapuram Vishnu temple.
The script is tight and without flourishes while the music, bvy P Ravikumar, enhances the overall mood. The film has been produced by Sarath for Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. K.C. Chitrabhanu, as subject expert, and Saji Nair's camera does a good job. Dr. Kapila Vatsayanan has pitched in with concept script advice. |
