Short films or feature, the feminine angle in R. Buvana’s creations has been unmistakable. So it is with Maa Thavam , one of her recent shorts on female infanticide. Strong and succinct in the message it drives home, Maa Thavam won the Best Short Film award at the Global Film Festival at Noida. The cast — Vijay Sethupathi, Kuyili and Nivedha — has done a commendable job in it.
“I knew Vijay Sethupathi would make a mark in cinema and told him so when we were shooting for Maa Thavam . He has powerful eyes and I felt it was just a matter of time before he made it big. I’m happy he has,” says Buvana. Be it the cast or the technicians, Buvana never makes compromises — composer Karthik Raja and editor Suresh Urs are a part of the crew of Maa Thavam .
Agalya 2012 , starring Nitin Sathya, is her latest short film, and it has been selected for screening at the South Asia Film Festival, in Seattle. And whether it was Aayesha, Thaedal or Inii , every short of Buvana’s has garnered plaudits for her at short film fests within the country and in other parts of the world.
Rightaa Thappaa, her first full-length film that had eve-teasing as its theme, may not have been a money spinner, but it won for her the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Film on Family Values, and also the Best Character Actor Award for Seetha who played the mother of the hero. Buvana was the film’s producer too. “I knew cinema, not business,” she smiles. “Now, of course, I’ve learnt every lane and by-lane of movie production. From producer to being my own production manager, I’ve done it all.” But it was around six years ago.
A great learning experience
Just back from Seattle, where she underwent training in screenplay writing, script supervising and dialogue assisting, she’s all set to work on three feature films. “The procedures and nomenclature in filmmaking are very different in the U.S. It’s been a great learning experience. The hiatus after Rightaa Thappaa has helped me equip myself better, though I’ve always been making shorts,” she explains. “Filmmaking is a passion which I’ll never give up.”
Love Me Stupid will be Buvana’s cross-cultural feature — a romantic comedy in English. “The title is inspired by the Billy Wilder film, Kiss Me Stupid ,” she laughs. “I like to make independent films. I plan to shoot Love Me Stupid entirely in the U.S.”
But aren’t social issues her forte? “I know I’ve been concentrating on gender issues in particular but now I’ve decided on a paradigm shift. Kadhalikka Naeramundu will be my next film in Tamil. But it will be a romantic comedy,” she says. Magalir Viduthi is another movie on the cards. “It belongs to a different genre and will be a drama very close to reality.”
