When Parisal Senthilnathan decided to create a parallel film society called Makkal Thiraipada Iyakkam back in 2004, all he had was a cycle and a bunch of world cinema DVDs. And yet, he hosted successive screenings on every second Saturday at Chennai Mess, which was then located behind Spencer Plaza, Anna Salai. Although it received lukewarm response initially, the community gradually gained mileage and saw over 100 people turning up for each screening.
“Our first screening was Bicycle Thieves, which was followed by Children of Heaven and The Way Home,” recalls Senthilnathan, “At that time, Madras Film Society and Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation were the two popular cinema communities.”
A publisher by profession, Senthilnathan began distributing photocopies of the Iyakkam’s schedule wherever he went. “Telephone was a luxury back then. So, I sent out postcards for film events,” he says.
Having been active for more than a decade, Makkal Thiraipada Iyakkam later gave birth to Padapetti Thiraipada Iyakkam, which is the brainchild of friends Senthilnathan, Anand Kumaresan, Amudhan, Kotravai, Vijay Anand, Dayalan and Parameswari. From various professions, they’re united by their intention to celebrate quality Indian cinema through film screenings.
The group was pondering over the idea of starting Padapetti Thiraipada Iyakkam ever since Merku Thodarchi Malai hit the screens. They reached the tipping point when an anonymous person, who watched the pirated version of the film, called one of the members asking for bank details to transfer the ticket money. “That’s when we realised that the lack of theatres is barring people from watching critically-acclaimed films,” says writer-translator Kotravai. On the other hand, Vijay Anand remarks, “Why should a commercial giant (theatre owner) control what we need to watch? It’s basically denying our fundamental rights to catch a film.”
Bringing in the crowds
Its first screening was Merku Thodarchi Malai, that saw audience coming in large numbers. So much so that a few people literally sat on the floors, as the stipulated number exceeded far more than 150. As they couldn’t manage the crowd, the group was forced to do a second screening, followed by a third.
“Since it’s a private screening, we have certain rules to follow,” says director Anand Kumaresan. Throughout our interaction, Anand doesn’t use the word “ticket”. Instead, he says “donations”. The passes for the shows are generally sold at ₹100 on a first-come basis. A non-profitable service, the expenses are shared among core members. If the donations received are marginally higher, the group gifts the amount to the filmmaker as a token of appreciation. “We still had a balance of ₹5,000 for Meruku Thodarchi Malai, which we gifted to director Lenin Bharathi. But he returned the money for the Iyakkam’s growth,” he says.
Over the last few months, filmmakers are fighting a bitter battle with theatre owners over the availability of screens. The entry of Padapetti Thiraipada Iyakkam couldn’t have been better-timed.
What’s special about Padapetti? For one, it aims to provide a decent theatrical experience at a nominal price. And two, the team strictly adheres to the festive standards, which means: no interval and no popcorn! The core members curate a list of films that qualify as ‘good’ cinema, while being popular at the same time. “Ultimately, our social-conditioning happens with whatever we’re fed. When you expose people to a different kind of cinema, they are astounded by the fact that such films can even exist,” says Kotravai.
Legal nitty-gritty
For a private screening, it’s the norm for one to legally acquire the rights from the film’s producers. However, the group hopes to approach like-minded people who are willing to support such initiatives. “We are in touch with producers and screen their films only if they’re okay with it,” says Anand.
The difference between other film communities and Padapetti is that it invites filmmakers for a post-screening discussion, ensuring dissemination of filmmaking knowledge. For the second screening of the Malayalam film Ozhivudivasathe Kali, its director Sanal Kumar was present at the event. “We won’t screen films without filmmakers,” says Anand, adding, “Sanal was amused by the reception. Of course, he might have watched his film along with audiences. But for our private screening, the response was huge.”
With numerous film festivals happening across the country in December, talks are on amongst the members about honouring masters from Indian cinema instead of a sceening.
The films curated by Padapetti Thiraipada Iyakkam are screened at MM Preview Theatre in Kodambakkam.