Friends, critics and lovers of cinema got the opportunity to interact with Gopi Nayinar, the director of Aramm film here on Saturday.
The film, which caused a stir in pockets of the Kollywood circle for strong words of dissent, was discussed by people from the city at an event held at Loyola Institute of Technology. Cast members Palani Pattalam and Rams were present and answered questions raised by audience.
The discussion revolved around different perspectives focusing on the plot — the story of young Dhanshika’s survival as she falls into a borewell. Actress Nayanthara plays the role of a young and straight forward Collector. While some members of the panel expanded on prominent themes such as minority subjugation and feminism, others spoke of prominent characters.
In his address to the audience Gopi Nayinar said that the primary motive of the movie was to elaborate on the wealth of collective public effort.
“Cinema may not the be the tool to change the ways of the society. It will be the people’s movement that will change the way things work out,” he said. The director also thanked the fellow panellists for discussing and watching the film keenly.
Stalin Rajangam, a Madurai-based writer, spoke on the overt political lines in the movie. He began by tracing the history of political films in Tamil cinema. “It can be noticed that in the 80s, many movies had overt political tones. Rarely was realism given importance,” he said. He added that ‘Nativity Cinema’ usually placed under large archetypes. The film, he said, did not conform to these set generalities.
Film researcher and professor at Gandhigram Rural Institute Sundar Kali said that the camera work was good but the music in many parts was unnecessary. The juxtaposition of a rocket launch and the saving of the young villager from the borewell prove the difference between pumping money into the nation’s defence but ignoring people’s welfare, he said.
Others like Parvatha Varthini, a Child Rights Expert, touched the feminism angle of the movie.
