THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For movie director Shareef Eesa, attending IFFK during December was not possible in previous years. The reason? He taps rubber for a living and latex production is at its peak in December. However, this time, he is at the IFFK venue with his state award-winning film ‘Kanthan- The Lover of Colour’ which was screened at Kripa theatre on Saturday noon.
It was a newspaper article about Rohit Vemula’s death, describing how his head was held high even in the end, which inspired him to shoot the movie in ‘Ravulla’ language of the Adiya tribals in Wayanad with a few Malayalam dialogues thrown in. An in-depth exploration of the life of the Adiya tribals, the movie also explores some sub-themes which include the effect of urbanisation on traditional communities and violation of their rights.
“They converse with each other in Ravulla and use Malayalam to communicate with outsiders. Because of exposure to the outside world, their language is becoming diluted,” said Shareef. The movie also explores the inferiority complex of Kanthan about his colour. “Kanthan loves all colours except his own darker shade,” he added.
Difficult Journey
Finding funds for the movie was a task in itself. However, revenue from short films that Shareef had made before and a dedicated crew helped him come out with ‘Kanthan’. “One of the incidents that still makes me sad is one that happened just before we were set to screen the movie in Kochi back in 2018.
Some technical works were to be done in Kozhikode and we only paid half the amount. They refused to give the print without making the full payment. We had already scheduled a huge event with a heavy guest list and rented a theatre. My wife had just delivered and it was a moment I came close to tears. Somehow, we found the money and the show was held, but the helplessness we felt is something that still stay with me,” he said.
IFFK is a stage of hope
A platform like IFFK, Shareef feels, is very important for parallel film makers who are not backed by huge financiers. “It is a platform to display our work. The state award helped us clear some of our debts and even bought us time with our financiers. IFFK selection helps in getting a financial return which will be a big relief to independent directors like us who have taken loans and borrowed money to finish the movie,” said Shareef. He also feels that premiers should be given prominence.
“In many film festivals, the films are mostly World Premiers. Here, we even have movies which are already available in DVDs,” he said.
Shareef is now planning his next movie, with another socially relevant theme, which will go on floor next April in Iritti. The shooting will also be done in Kodagu in Karnataka.