KOCHI: Had the late filmmaker IV Sasi been still around, he would have probably been one of the first to ring up and congratulate his friend and contemporary, Hariharan, on being conferred the JC Daniel Award on Tuesday.
Back in 1989, when Hariharan's evergreen classic Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha had swept the Kerala State Film Awards, in a major surprise the Best Director Award had gone to Sasi for Mrugaya. None was more disturbed than Sasi himself, who by his own admission had rung up Hariharan to reveal his dismay and even told him that he would not accept the award in a show of respect to his friend's magnum opus.
But like a good friend, Hariharan succeeded in persuading him and Sasi eventually agreed to accept the award.
Even as Hariharan basks in the glory of the foremost recognition in Malayalam cinema, it is probably an apology for having overlooked the master filmmaker who has been engaged in perfecting the craft over and over again for more than three decades. And it hasn't come a day soon.
“I still recall the words of my mentors. Keep your head down and do the work silently and sincerely. Fame, wealth and accolades will come your way, they used to tell me. I have never worked for awards. However, I am happy that this year, I have been chosen for the coveted J C Daniel Award,” said Hariharan.
According to him, from personal experience, he is prone to believe that it is indeed destiny that guides human lives.
“I was working as a high school teacher. The myriad colours that I use to watch in celluloid attracted me towards films. I reached Chennai to meet K S Sethumadhavan but couldn't. Actor Bahadur had been my friend and he told me to meet director P B Unni, who allowed me to join his sets as an assistant director,” said Hariharan.
The 1989 release Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha helmed by Hariharan had fetched Mammootty the first of his three National Film Awards for the Best Actor. Exactly two decades after Veeragadha, he came up with Pazhassiraja, which was technically top-notch in quality and content.
Of the 49 films he has made in Malayalam in the last 47 years, most of them are commercially and critically acclaimed ones “A filmmaker should always try to update himself on the changes in his realm. Like a doctor who must have a thorough knowledge of the changes which have occurred in the medical field and the latest medicines available, the filmmaker should also know about the changes in the technical side. During the lockdown, I watched several movies from contemporary world cinema. Now, I am revisiting movies of Hitchcock and Satyajit Ray. Watch movies from the present and the past and never allow any barriers to come in between the filmmaker in you and the visual art,” he said.
Kunchan Nambiar
Though Hariharan had plans to make M T Vasudevan Nair's Randamoozham way back in 2011, the project did not materialise. He has announced a biopic on legendary poet Kunchan Nambiar. Scripted by Hariharan himself and poet-lyricist K Jayakumar, the movie will be made on a bigger canvas.
“We were planning to record the songs for the movie during Vishu. However, Covid affected the plans. On the actor to be cast as Kuchan Nambiar, I have Mohanlal in mind whom I believe can essay the role to perfection," he said.
On when he will team up with MT next, Hariharan said, “MT is not someone who will come up with a script regularly. If a theme strikes him, he will tell me about it. I am also waiting for that.”