“The film ‘Celluloid’, which won seven State Film Awards, was an earnest attempt to portray the life of J C Daniel from my perspective,” said director Kamal at the Ernakulam Press Club on Tuesday.
“Several criticisms have been raised against my movie for fabricating history. But I want to tell all critics that while making ‘Celluloid’, my intention was not to document history. My attempt was to re-read the life of J C Daniel through a film maker’s lens,” clarified Kamal.
Justifying his stand, Kamal cited examples of this year’s Oscar nominated movie ‘Lincoln’ and yesteryear classic ‘Gandhi’.
“If ‘Gandhi’ was the portrayal of the father of the nation’s life from the view point of Richard Attenborough, historical drama ‘Lincoln’ dealt with the life of U S president told through Steven Spielberg’s perspective. That is what we call creator’s freedom,” he said.
However, he said that it is quite unfortunate that criticisms have been raised by those who have not even watched the movie.
“Recently, ‘Viswaroopam’ also faced a similar situation. I wonder how people can judge a movie without watching it,” said Kamal.
The overwhelming response from the public has made Kamal happy. “When I narrated the story initially to some producers, they showed scant interest in the project, doubtful of its commercial success. Hence, my friend Ubaid and I, decided to produce the film. I am not blaming the producers as there is a general belief that award winning films would not be well received by the public. But, the success of ‘Celluloid’ proves that such a belief is false,” he said.