Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is a symbol of hope for independent filmmakers. He has become the face of independent cinema in Malayalam with five movies of varying degrees — both thematically and structurally. But the tag ‘independent’ filmmaker does not bother him any more. “People call it ‘indie’ movie until they watch it. Once they step out of the theatre, it’s either a good or bad movie,” he says.
Sanal unabashedly admits what other filmmakers might find it unrealistic, “My characters are a reflection of me. If they are good, it’s me and if they’re bad, it’s still me.” His latest movie Chola — presented by Karthik Subbaraj in Tamil — is an exposition of a system called patriarchy. Excerpts:
‘Chola’ is being released by Karthik Subbaraj in Tamil. How did this collaboration happen?
I became acquainted with Karthik after meeting him at a film festival. My friend saw the first cut and said that Chola has potential to work in Tamil, since the story takes place in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Karthik’s name crossed my mind and I messaged him. He really liked the movie and wanted to present it through Stone Bench Indie.
Why release a dubbed version when there is an audience for Malayalam movies here? Is it because you couldn’t find distributors?
To an extent, yes. But the Tamil version [Alli] is different from Chola. We have trimmed and made some changes, which was an experiment for me as well.
Was it trimmed because of the violence?
It’s not just that. We changed the narrative style. I have a tendency to shoot long shots. There was an apprehension that this might not work with the Tamil audience. We have changed certain things in terms of pacing. In doing so, I was careful to not lose the essence of the movie.
What is interesting about your narratives — be it ‘S Durga’ or ‘Ozhivudivasathe Kali’ — is how you eschew the traditional approach of using suspense/surprise as a factor. There are no signs for the shocking final act…
Cinema has a set template and all of us are circling through it. Someday, somebody would come up with a new pattern, which we would adapt to. I’m a little wary of following the three-act structure and I don’t succumb to it. There are efforts being taken to stay away from the usual approach.
I wanted to bridge the gap between real life and fiction. Nobody would have thought about the climax because it’s not going to happen, right? But in our wild fantasy, we might think about ‘what if’ scenarios. We are not going to kill people in real life, obviously. But we may have thought about it or casually used it in our conversations. That’s what created a spark in me when I wrote Ozhivudivasathe Kali. It started with a thought and how it would escalate into action.
Your movies question several fundamental norms of society in a bold fashion. Patriarchy is a recurrent theme that you explore.
Yes. I’m aware of it. But knowingly or unknowingly, I keep revisiting these themes in my movies. Maybe it’s because of my family structure. I also feel that there’s a lot hiding inside me. I don’t think artistes are saints, but they have the ability to find something in sadness/happiness.
You mean to say that the gangsters that intimidate the couple in ‘S Durga’ are within you?
Yes. To what extent is what matters. I’m trying to polish myself to make sure I don’t become like them. I don’t have a problem with their thought process when I write. Because that would be such an ideal world, right?
Karthik Subbaraj will be presenting ‘Alli’ in Tamil | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
What was running in your mind when you wrote ‘Chola’?
It’s a script I wrote in 2010 and later developed with KV Manikandan. I’ve been revisiting it over the last 10 years, and it was a revelation for me every time. In Malayalam, chola means wetland. It also means waterfall. Water is one of the powerful forces of Nature. It’s beautiful when it’s calm and violent when there’s a surge. In that sense, water is a metaphor for life.
But itseems like an extension of ‘S Durga’…
Yes, it’s connected to S Durga. The movies I have directed so far have a common thread. It’s the same thought/idea that I tend to develop in each of my movies.
The trailer seems to suggest that you take on patriarchy...
It talks about how patriarchy has seeped into the minds of women. First of all, what is patriarchy? It’s not a theory, but a system. It was created by men for benefits. But it’s the women who are propagating patriarchy.
How was the experience watching the movie along with an international audience at the Venice Film Festival?
It was a 1,200-seater theatre. My sales agent gave me a warning saying there won’t be more than 100 people. She said it might drop down to 50 (laughs). Fortunately for us, over 800 people turned up for the screening.
How did they react?
Most of them were foreigners and they were in a state of shock. The movie was too harsh for them. Chola ends by asking a cardinal question and people were curious to find answers. This is why I like Kieslowski. His movies do something inwards, but there’s no rational explanation. Sometimes, I’m compelled to explain what I intended, when the audience comes up with a reading that is totally against the idea.
You have never shied away from expressing your thoughts in matters concerning artistic freedom and right-wing politics. But does that affect your creative process?
Whatever I say/write on social media is part of my dialogue and I make no bones about it. Earlier, I used to react to every issue and engage with people on social media. But I’ve stopped doing that because it started affecting the release of my movies. Even for Chola, people who like my work but don’t like me, started working against the movie. My work doesn’t define me. I’m just making an art piece. If they don’t consider it as art, then it’s very strange.
In an interview you gave long back, you had said that you would stop making indie movies because you need to support your parents. That clearly hasn’t changed…
(Laughs) I remember saying that. I have certain ideologies even in filmmaking. Cinema is the most important thing for me. Yes, survival is also equally important. But now, survival is happening anyway, so that shouldn’t be an issue.