Sanskrit filmmakerGuwahati, Nov 1 (PTI) G Prabha, writer-director of theSanskrit movie 'Ishti', feels it is the duty of the governmentto ensure films based on "artistic reality", which do notcatch the fancy of producers, get made and released intheatres.
The director of the first Sanskrit film on a socialtheme, said films made merely for the sake of entertainmentand pleasure cannot sustain.
"Films based on artistic reality may not get producersand commercial success. In that case it is the duty of othersources like governments and film societies to come forwardand ensure such films are made and released in theatres for anaudience interested in good cinema," he said at the firstGuwahati International Film Festival here.
The former Sanskrit professor said films cannot bejudged on commercial success alone, as cinema is a powerfulmedium bringing together people from different walks of life,and is an art form with an universal language.
"According to me, art is not an industry alone. It isa part of intellectual creative consciousness and I am notready to compromise with art," he said.
Released in 2015, 'Ishti' is only the fourth Sanskritfilm to be made in the country, after 'Adi Shankaracharya' and'Bhagavad Gita', both directed by G V Iyer, and 'Priyamasanam'by Vinod Mankara, based on the 17th century poet-scholarUnnayi Warrier.
"There has been, however, not a single Sanskrit filmthat explores social realities of Indian lives. My filmportrayed patriarchal power-politics prevalent among theNamboodiri Brahmins of Kerala in the 1940s," Prabha said.
The film had run into trouble with the Kerala BrahmanSabha filing a case against the filmmaker and Censor Board forhurting sentiments of the community. The case is stillpending.
"It has created problems, no doubt, as the film cannotbe released in theatres, though it is being screened at filmfestivals. But it is not a figment of my imagination, but apart of reality that existed in the early part of the lastcentury," he said.
Prabha believes that modern subjects can be portrayedthrough the medium of Sanskrit, and he is planning anotherfilm in the language next year.
He, however, said the task would not be easy as it isvery difficult to find producers and distributors.
"Sanskrit is not state-specific but is a language ofthe entire country. All other languages have a platform but inall these years, only four films have been made in Sanskrit.
I hope there is a change in the future," he added. PTI DG NNRBT.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.