LET’S NOT LOSE MANI RATNAMS, SHANKARS & BALAS!

Director Selvan may not be popular in the tinsel town but his signals to initiate a fasting protest against the prestigious banner in town Kavithalaya and Ayngaran International who are the producers of his film Krishna Leelai featuring Jeevan of Naan Avanillai fame and Meghna Raj have certainly brought him to the centre of spotlight.

His film was completed a long while ago and when it was initially postponed during the summer vacation of 2011, Selvan took it in his stride anticipating the move to be a beneficial one due to the expected low turn out in theatres owing to elections and the World Cup Cricket. But with the drag over the post-production work and the long silence over the release, Selvan realized that there was no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel and resorted to a hunger strike demanding justice. 

It is indeed unfortunate that Selvan is mirroring the dreams of innumerable creative talents in the film industry rearing to reach out beyond the horizons.

Sadurangam directed by Karu Palaniappan with Srikanth and Sonia Agarwal is slated to be the director’s best and had it been released, Palaniappan’s stature in the industry was sure to have reached a new high but the path to release the film remains as checkered as the title. Muriyadi, again produced by K Balachander’s Kavithalaya, starring Sathyaraj and Ganesh Venkataraman, directed by Selva is complete and has not seen the light of the day. It is the same track for Anjana directed Gautham Menon produced Veppam, Andrew directed Leelai produced by Aascar and Padithurai directed by Suka and produced by Arya.If these are just but samples of issues that had come to light there could be many such cases, tucked in the lanes and by lanes of Kodambakkam wherein many dreams remain in suspended animation. Would there be a statement in defense? Should the enormity of the finances involved, back-foot the producers to the slow unwinding of their films? Well, there could be a hatch to their defenses.

However, on the part of a director, especially for Suka, Anjana, Selvan and Andrew, their debut film not hitting the screen at the right time is tantamount to an apocalypse. The director breathes his (her) heart and soul to the project he/she greatly believes in and has been living with it almost half his/her lifetime. At least, if the reasons for the delay are known, remedial measures, if any, could be taken. In most cases, the director does not have a clue and is groping in darkness.

This catch-22 situation could be quite nerve-wracking for the maker who is keen to set a mark for himself (herself) in the field as the industry exasperates him further clinging to sentiments and luck factors. The director struggles to move on to the next project as suspicions over his credence mar the prospects of new vistas and most times the questions find no answers. The clouds of uncertainties over his future are indeed overcast. It is akin to perpetual pregnancy wherein ways and means to deliver your product to the world are not known and is getting painful by every passing day.

As the adage goes ‘time and tide wait for no men’, clock ticks and leaves behind the film and its maker. The content goes obsolete and archaic, the star value (involved in the cast) changes and sometimes for the worse. With this the dreams of the maker hits the nadir for whom his (her) film’s release at the right time would have enabled a smart card entry into the industry.

Such cases are many in the filmdom and undoubtedly there could be many woes on the producer’s side too. However, if the keyholders find enough reasons to delay unlocking the film to its release, such issues need to be spelt to liberate the future, career, confidence and dreams of the makers for the consequences are many with a definite bias towards the undesirable. The Phoenix faculty is still elusive for many. Having to raise from the ashes needs a baptist, which only the choicest few are destined to encounter. And unfortunately, history only talks about success stories and not about the ones who have lost, for no fault of theirs.

Will such forbearing wane in the industry? As untiring hope is the only approach to progress in life, let’s wish such instances go vestigial and there springs forth a stream of undeterred flow of creative energy in our dream factory.

And one would never know where future Mani Ratnams, Shankars and Balas who had painted a fresh and intelligent hue to Tamil films are hidden in the warp and weft of the labyrinth of reels.

Let us not lose these creative energies to the economics.