Be it ‘Kazhakam’ or ‘Drishtantham’, M P Sukumaran Nair is one filmmaker who approaches his art in right earnest, his works venturing straight into the innermost contours of human mind. A glimpse into his creative oeuvre and you know him as a connoisseur of fine taste. The award-winning director is back with ‘Jalamsham’, another film that shows his bias for serious cinema. A period film cutting through the socio-cultural fabric of Kerala, ‘Jalamsham’ rewinds back to the late 60s. “But it’s not confined to a particular time frame as the film spans four decades up to the new century,” says the director who has also penned the story and script of the film.
‘Jalamsham’, which stars Jagadish in the lead, records the life of a true-blue farmer in all its raw poignancy. “Kunjukunju doesn’t own any land, he takes land on lease and follows the age-old practices of framing. As time passes he hits a dead-end where he finds himself obsolete and out-of-place. The film maps his emotional turmoil as he tries to fit in,” says the director.
The film also features a strong female front with three women rummaging through the protagonist’s life. “Soshakutty, his wife, Savithri, his landlord, and Karumbi, a peasant girl, play integral parts in the narrative. ‘Jalamsham’ also zooms into the relation Kunjukunju shares with the three,” he says. While Manju Pillai, Parvathy Ghosh and Reshmi play the three women who enter his life, Indrans, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Rema Devi and Krishnapriya are also part of the cast.
Shot in the rural interiors of Kottayam, with its luscious greenery as the backdrop, ‘Jalamasham’ will evoke a bout nostalgia in many.
“Villages swept by the storm of urbanisation, the vanishing of paddy fields - the film chronicles it all. We have come a long way from being men and women completely in tune with the elements. The bond with earth is broken and now what we see all around is the unfamiliar sea of migrant labourers.”
He says most of his story premises are directly pulled out of his memories, “of my village and the people I have known for ages.”
‘Jalamsham’, the title, hints at the most elemental form of sustenance. “Life sprouts from water, it’s one of the basic essentials of existence. The film shows what happens when such an organic presence gets drained from your life.”
A linear narrative is least expected in his films and Sukumaran Nair says ‘Jalamsham’ is no exception. “My idea of visual language is different and just like my earlier films this too has a fragmented narrative. Since the film covers a huge time span where dates and incidents overlap, you will not find chronologically arranged sequences. Kunjukunju ends up in jail following a strife and he comes out of it as a pickpocket. But the film doesn’t follow the normal pattern of storytelling narrating one event after another,” he says.
‘Jalamsham’ will mark a highpoint in Jagadish’s filmography and Sukumaran Nair says while casting he always goes for faces that suit his characters.
“Jagadish is an actor who doesn’t look his age. His character passes through various stages from adulthood to old age and he fits into the slot completely. I don’t believe in tacky cosmetic makeovers,” he adds.
The film produced under the banner of Rachana Films is expected to hit the screens shortly.