Actor-director
Parthiban was in his usual jovial and free
flowing mood when the press caught up with
him at the Agasthiyar temple in Papanasam
where he had come the other day to attend
the Kumbhabhishekam. He was full of opinions
when asked about movies and the social responsibilities
of filmmakers.
Parthiban
is one of the few filmmakers who have
dared to regularly venture off the
beaten track and come up with some
creditable if not commercially successful
efforts. He said that it was the duty
of filmmakers to make films on issues
of social relevance. There would be
opposition to such efforts from many
quarters but one must go ahead in
spite of all that. The film Kannadi
Pookkal in which he acted is a very
good example of a movie with a pertinent
social message.
Quite uncharacteristically, one has
not heard much about the actor after
his disappointing Pacchakudhira, which
released in April.
When
asked about this he said that he regretted
his attempt at commercialisation even though
it was brief. He promised to make better
films in future and said that he is going
to make a film, which will propagate the
ideas of the ancient ‘Siddhars’
of Tamil Nadu including Agasthiyar.
Parthiban said that his motive of making
films was to provide entertainment along
with some food for thought. When the chat
entered the unavoidable area of politics
he was quick to say an emphatic ‘No’.
When one pointed out that Captain Vijayakanth
was not doing too badly in politics, Parthiban
pointed out that the film career of Vijayakanth
was much more illustrious than his own.
However he expressed his admiration of the
current Chief Minister who is very active
even at this elderly age. He was quick to
neutralize his statement by saying a few
good things about the ex-chief minister
giving special mention to her mental strength.
His immediate plans are not very clear,
but we all know that he cannot lie low for
long.
