Puthiran (Son), a movie by veteran film director Jayabharathi, which highlights the sensitive issue of child abuse and child labour, lay under wraps for three years due to lack of funds but has now found its way to a child organisation that supported its funding.
Director Jayabharathi, who claims to be one of those filmmakers who ventured into parallel cinema in the Tamil film industry, expressed his deep disappointment that the Tamil film industry has no room for creativity.
“Tamil cinema is moving towards anti-intelligence, which is filled with business-minded people who are willing to compromise on things. Maybe that’s why I am struggling. I won’t compromise because what I am doing is good cinema,” said Jayabharathi, who is screening his ninth movie in 35 years, Puthiran, at a fundraiser event on Anti Child Labour Day, organised by Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) recently.
This low budget movie has Y Gee Mahendran and Sangeetha in the lead roles. Struggling to get funding since 2011, the film finally caught the attention of CACL, which has now associated with the directors to raise funds to release it.
But the deadlock here is that the movie, which has to settle its account at the Prasad studios, needs `16 lakh to get out of the labs and be screened anywhere outside.
“I have done everything to raise funds. I even went to every college in the city to raise funds from students, which I did for my first film Kudisai in 1978, when I got `90,000 from the students of city colleges to release my film, which got accolades and awards. But now the situation has changed,” said Jayabharathi, whose films have even fetched national awards.
CACL, which had invited several other organisations and people across the State for the screening of the movie, did not find most of them turning up.
“We don’t have that much money to contribute a big amount, but we are trying our level best as the subject of the movie has been handled in an effective way. We are really hoping to find some financial help to get this movie out of its struggle,” said Joseph Victor Raj, State convener, CACL.