Producer and actor Prakash Bare admits that he has “tried to stay away from formulas and mediocrity” in Indian cinema. Experimentation and thematic content enthuse the filmmaker and actor in him. Perhaps that is what has helped him make a mark in Malayalam cinema and theatre. Part of a small but influential group of mavericks in Malayalam cinema, their attempt is to rediscover the aesthetic, experimental and alternative routes that Malayalam cinema was once celebrated for. And the attempt is to forge ahead without pandering to the star system or the mainstream concerns of Malayalam cinema.
Moreover, the ardent theatreperson that he is, Prakash continues to promote theatre and is playing the lead in Deepan Sivaraman’s adaptation of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari even while acting in three films.
In an e-mail interview, Prakash talks about his ongoing projects in cinema and theatre. Edited excerpts from the interview.
Tell us about your roles in Kaattu Vithachavar and Painting Life
The two roles are very different. The character in Painting Life is a commercial filmmaker who travels to Sikkim to shoot a song and dance sequence, but gets stranded there because of inclement weather. An English film written and directed by Dr. Biju and shot by M.J. Radhakrishnan in Sikkim, Painting Life is a pan-Indian project with actors from 10 different Indian states, including Shankar Ramakrishnan from Kerala, Ritabhari Mukherji from West Bengal and National award-winning actor Geetanjali Thapa from Sikkim.
The film is about the intense experiences the filmmaker goes through in the mountain village and the deep impact it has on his thoughts and priorities, both on the personal and work fronts. I connected strongly with this character as he is confronting many of the questions and dilemmas all of us in the film fraternity are facing and discussing all the time.
In Kaattu Vithachavar , a crowd-funded fiIm, I am a policeman, DGP Balagopal, who investigating the police atrocities during the Emergency period. The character is inspired by the real life story of the police officer who investigated the Rajan case [the case is about the custodial murder of a student of engineering who was arrested by the police]. Rajan was a few years senior to us. That was probably the first political incident that touched me deeply. Rajan personified human rights for our generation. We used to participate every year in the Ragam festival, hosted by the REC Calicut [NIT] in Rajan’s memory. So when director Satheesh Paul and executive producer Suresh Achoos approached me with this role, I didn’t have to think twice to take it up. The film narrates how the Naxalites and the police of that era who sowed the wind ended up reaping the whirlwind.
What makes you say yes to a role or bankroll a film?
Excitement as an actor always stems from the novelty of the role and the potential for performance. However, the team and the social impact of the overall script are also important. I take up only two to three major assignments a year. In addition, I collaborate with projects I like because of the content or the team by appearing in some small role or supporting on the promotional front.
I take the risk of producing a film if I am convinced about the content and there is a fair chance of recovering the investment. I try to experiment in all my productions. That is responsible for my involvement with a Marathi film, an English film, a sitcom, crowd-funded films, content for internet, international festivals and markets... in the three to four years.
You are acting in theatre and movies at the same time. Is preparation necessary? How do you approach Deepan’s play The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ?
I came from theatre and find it most fulfilling. I used to be active in campus theatre and was twice best actor in Calicut University interzone festivals. Switching between film and theatre is natural and effortless. Marathi has many great actors who keep switching across theatre, TV and films regularly.
Yes, preparation is very much needed. In theatre, certain nuances of the characters often start coming out only once you have done 100-plus rehearsals. In films, this never happens. Often it is just connecting the dots. Many actors claim to be or want to be ‘one take artistes’. I see that as sheer shallowness. Doing rehearsals and taking several shots to achieve perfection is the ideal approach.
Deepan's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was both exciting and challenging for me. The play is based on the 1920 classic German silent film of the same name. That film is believed to be about the spread of fascism in German society and the rise of Hitler a decade later. How democracies around the world are being manipulated by fascist forces today makes this play relevant and contemporary. We hope to stage the play in all the cities in Kerala as well as at major venues around the country and abroad. We have an invitation to stage the play at the prestigious Wuzhen theatre festival of China.
The title character of the play, Dr Caligari, was a good challenge for me. I had to consider how the character was presented in the silent film, Deepan’s visual centric treatment of the play with select snippets for the actors to contribute, audience’s expectation about a fascist manipulator and so on before deciding on my take of the character. And I hope to keep refining it as the play goes from stage to stage around the world - that is an advantage of plays, unlike films where the performance will be done and frozen during the production.
Many award-winning, critically acclaimed films struggle to get a theatre release? Would you suggest a solution?
I think a multi-pronged approach is needed to bring back the golden era of Malayalam cinema. Fight the monopoly of the stars in the industry today. Bring the content and talent back into the equation. Enable wide release and connect films strongly with the audience. This is a long term political struggle and the government can make a huge difference in this area.
Encourage the initiatives of the many youngsters who are now coming up with strong content and making styles in lieu of star power to draw the audience. This is what Bharathan and Padmarajan had done in creating the middle ground cinema of the 80s. Use crowd-funding to support your path-breaking ideas without usual constraints and compromises.
And another strong option and opportunity is to leverage technology to unsettle the current status quo. Use the Internet for wider and long-term reach, leverage English language for our content, create content for internet, virtual reality and augmented reality.
What is your take on the deep-set misogyny in the Malayalam film industry and the disturbing silence of the biggies and young stars in Malayalam cinema?
The misogyny in the industry is naturally an extension of the cultural reality of our society. But the monopoly and power equations in the industry make it worse when it comes to cinema. That is reflected in the kind of films being made, the remunerations female artistes receive, longevity of their career, the respect they receive in the workplace and now even their security! An all-out fight by the women and like-minded people in the industry as well as society is needed to make any change even in the long term. In fact a broader coalition of all the affected parties against this hegemony is the need of the hour. The deafening silence of the biggies are obviously because of the fear of the crumbling of their empire. Others are either scared or just waiting for a more conducive environment to open up. We have seen how much Thilakan was haunted by this system.
What is Sadhyathakalum Theerumanangalum about, another film that you are working in?
It is the debut work of Suresh Peter, an engineer turned, media professional turned, novelist turned, film maker now. We have been discussing the script of that film for last two years. It is an intense drama happening in the lives of a few people dealing with rights and wrongs, and life and death. It is being shot in Malayalam and Kannada in a border village of Kasaragod. I play an IB officer, Ayyappan, who is caught between fighting for euthanasia for his own daughter on the home front and persecuting an innocent man at the workplace.
Your favourite films of 2017?
Kaadu Pookkunna Neram was one of the good Indian films of this year. It would have had good theatrical run as well if we had a healthier, unmanipulated theatrical circuit here. Newton with the almost same thread was well-received in multiplexes, festivals and online. Newton also became India's official nomination for the Oscar. Sanal's S. Durga , a hard-hitting micro budgeted film, became the very first Indian film to win the top prize at Rotterdam. I also liked Paathi , a film made by Chandran Narikode. Otherwise, 2017 was a bad year for Malayalam cinema. Well-made and well-received films like Angamali Diaries, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum and Take Off marked a positive trend on the distribution front. None of the super hero films are not eligible to be included in the best 20-30 films of the year.
