The transition from making short films and documentaries to releasing a big feature film has been a surreal one. Ananya Kasaravalli, one of the debutant directors at the 12th Habitat Film Festival, sometimes wants to pinch her self to reality.
At other more real times, she’d rather pat her herself on the back and acknowledge the effort she’s put into Harikatha Prassanga/Chronicles of Hari, a Kannada film, that talks of an actor who plays female parts in theatre, and begins to lose his sexual identity. The sobriety of the narrative challenged Kasaravalli’s directorial prudence in many ways, only to help her trust her sagacity even more.
The protagonist’s story reverberates with her conscience many times. “The conflict between the performer and the self is what interested me, as I have experienced that too. The young actor in my film too, feels imprisoned, not being able to identify with either roles he plays,” she says.
Accompanying her film will be a few other debutants in the festival including, Konkona Sensharma’s A Death in The Gunj; Avinash Das’ Anaarkali of Aarah); Subhashish Bhutiani’s Mukti Bhawan; Rima Das’ Antardrishti: Man with the Binoculars; and K P Vyasan’s Ayaal Jeevichirupund.
The film reel this year will also role out an Om Puri Tribute Retrospective with screening his best works such as Tamas, Dev, East Is East and Sadgati, in addition to others. There will also be an exhibition of writings and film posters of well-known director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, among others. Here’s wishing you a very filmy week ahead.
Good to know: Till May 28, at India Habitat Centre. For more, log on to habitatfilmclub.com