THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In 1974, a tenth standard student from Kadakkavoor SSPBHSS, participated in two competitions Monoact and Drama during the School Art Festival. The festival was being organised in the state after a gap of two years due to war and emergency. But the student managed to bag only second position though his performances received thundering applause from the audience. He, however, was not disappointed and took this as a challenge to make inroad into the world of cinema.
Do you know who he is? It is none other than Viji Thampy. A well know film director and actor who mesmerised Malayali film buffs with hits like ‘Pidakkozhi Koovunna Noottandu’, ‘Simhavalan Menon’, ‘Soorya Manasam’ and ‘Thiruthal Vaadi’. Thampy was here at the main venue of the festival to watch the performances when Thiruvananthapuram Express caught up with him.
Reminiscing his experiences, Thampy went down the memory lane.
“It was my taste in art forms, especially, acting which brought me to the film field. Though I entered the industry as an assistant to director Balachandra Menon in 1983 for the film ‘Prashnam Gurutharam’, my heart was into acting. I have acted in a few films which I had directed myself,” he said.
He also raised apprehensions about the negative trends prevailing in the art festivals. He said that art festivals are getting limited as arenas to obtain grace marks in the examinations and get admissions in top colleges.
“Earlier, the festival venues used to literally have a festive mood. Participants used to sing, dance and make new friendships. Now, everything become a mechanical affair in all sense. When I used to participate, there was only healthy competition, but over the years, the festival has lost its sheen due to the interference of influential people in selecting winners. For instance, I will say all the judges are of below par standards. They are dancing into the tunes of money and influence. Hence, a remote judgement comprising the experts in the respective field is the need of the hour,” Thampy added.
Thampy also expressed a desire in reinstating ‘Kalaprathibha’ and ‘Kalathilakam’ titles since through them one can identify the extra-ordinary talent in the school art festivals. “Several film stars like Manju Warrier, Navya Nair and so on entered filmdom through these art festivals. Hence, the authorities should take steps to reinstate the titles. These titles have value,” he suggested.
Taking a cue from Ranji Pancker, Thampy is also willing to act in the movies. He is going to direct an untitled project in which Biju Menon in the lead. The project will go on the floors in mid 2016. Thampy made his directorial debut in 1988 with the movie ‘David David Mr David’. Dileep starrer ‘Nadodimannan’ in 2013 was the last film.