Inspired by mother’s life

Inspired by mother’s life

Director TV Chandran said that he was greatly inspired by his mother’s life. “I was a boy who closely watched my mother, her sufferings,” he said, during the open forum ‘Directors and their Heroines’ held as part of the four-day Female Film Festival jointly organised by the Kerala Sthree Padana Kendram, the Kerala University Union, the Chalachithra Academy and the FFSI Keralam.

He elaborated on the life of his mother who had nothing to eat after serving family members and guests. To a question ‘What is so inspiring in it? Most of the housewives were going through such experiences’,  Chandran said,”Yes, but my other brothers never minded her feelings while I stood with her”. He thus made it clear that he viewed things differently.

Chandran said that the film 'Susanna' was about his mother. “A woman member of the Censor Board wanted to ban the film. She asked why I portrayed women in such a vulgar manner. I said Susanna was just like my mother. It does not mean that she slept with five. Both have similar mindset,” he said.

The film ‘Kadhavasheshan’ was inspired from the real life experience of Chandran’s son. “My son was working in Ahmedabad when the Gujarat riots broke out. He saw young boys, who were set aflame, running frantically on the other side of the river Sabarmathi. He rang me and said he would jump off from the building,” Chandran said.

The suicide note in ‘Kadhavasheshan’ was originally  ‘For the Shame of Being Alive as an Indian After Gujarat riots’, but it was partially censored,” he said.

Chandran’s female characters in the films such as ‘Vilapangalkkappuram’, ‘Bhoomi Malayalam’ and ‘Mankamma’ were discussed at the forum.

Director K R Mohanan discussed about the way female characters were portrayed in the films. Film critic V K Joseph was the moderator.

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