How does one journey to a dream? Do you bend your rules to make the going easy? While the answers are all but vague, we do come across glimpses of such journeys – made on a dreamer’s own terms. Undaunted by the need to be in the race, governed only by the pace at which dreams play out, such journeys as filmmaker Shruthi Namboodiri’s do go on. Her 'musical fiction' Charulatha, released on YouTube, tells us so.
The Thrissur-based director has had an on-and-off relationship with movie making. With the backing of a formal training in filmmaking and the experience in television and advertisement industry, she ventured into independent film making in 2008. Shruthi’s debut movie in English, Anon, did not have a theatrical release but garnered attention at film festivals.
There is a thriving population of wannabe filmmakers out there who hope to make it big one day by fawning on celebrity directors. Related sycophantic behaviour include showering praises (often unworthy) on movies made by said directors, turning errand boy on the movie sets, and, after about two seasons of all this, launching into vitriolic outbursts on emerging film makers and their films (typically at film festivals).
So it’s all the more heartening to see a talented story teller like Shruthi stick to her craft patiently to take little steps towards her dream. It is obvious that she wants to find her space independently, albeit the time it takes.
Shruthi went into a hiatus after her debut movie. But she was back in action with a crop of short films and documentaries that were appreciated. Her music video Balle featuring exponents of six different dance genres was as much a visual treat as it was a riveting musical.
One wonders what made ace artistes like Meenakshi Srinivasan, Kapila Venu, and Arushi Mudgal throw their weight behind the newbie filmmaker. Shruthi had lengthy discussions with each one of them on the concept of an ‘anthem of womanhood’ that she intended to portray through her visuals and the music scored by Sudeep Palanad. What tilted the scale in her favour was undoubtedly her conviction in her art.
Charulatha, her latest outing, cements her position as a filmmaker of remarkable calibre. Dedicating it to the memory of Satyajit Ray on his 25th death anniversary, she has spun her own beautifully adapted version of the legendary filmmaker’s movie based on Tagore’s novella.
The film throws up a whole bouquet of surprises, other than the captivating visuals and the brilliant story-telling in all of nine minutes. The casting is sheer serendipity at display. We see lyricist B K Harinarayanan as the gentle and handsome Amal, music director Bijibal as the soft-spoken husband alongside the charming dancer Parvathy Menon who plays Charulatha. Although first-time actors, Harinarayanan and Bijibal are at ease in the hands of the wise story-teller.
The strength of the film, apart from the script, is of course the musical score. We are at a loss to decide if it’s the music that lends the frames their allure or if it is the other way. Shruthi and Carnatic musician Sudeep Palanad have yet again proven their wonderful sync as co-artists. The memorable music of Sudeep in Balle had in fact inspired Shruthi to make what became the film. Manesh Madhavan, who won the Kerala State Film Award for best cinematographer, 2017, has ensured that Charulatha is an assortment of arresting visuals.
At the end of the day, the journey towards a dream is a solitary path. For Shruthi, that path has meandered all the way from Attoor, a small village in Thrissur, to England and back to India where her art keeps her on the move. But here’s to a young woman, who scripted, directed and wrote the lyrics for a music-based short film in Malayalam – a first that deserves a loud round of applause.