‘Bagging’ the delegate identity

‘Bagging’ the delegate identity

POOJA JAYAN

The month of December sees Trivandrum flooded with people from every nook and cranny of the state to celebrate the festival of films, the IFFK.  In the sheer spirit of the festival men and women would be seen rushing from one theatre to the next sashaying their IFFK bags. The bag is a proof that you too belong to the much sought after festival of Trivandrum. Holding it close to your body with the smug look of being a ‘film worm’ you arrive at the movie hall but have you ever thought of the effort behind its making.

  The magical hands that created the festival bags are those of a group of women who run ‘Alankar Cloth Bags’ near Kattakada. They are members of Shishiram, a Kudumbasree unit. Their product range from baskets, small sachets for jewellery to  shopping bags. The unit was started seven years ago and this is their sixth year in the film fest. Since they got the first work of IFFK in 2006 there has been no looking back and this time the unit has bagged a whopping order for 10,000 bags. Finishing the work at right time at the right time is their forte which helps them win more orders from different parts of the state.

  The training program conducted by Kudumbasree in 2005 at Kozhikode has made them self dependent women who till then had only the tag of homemaker to identify themselves with . “We have supplied materials for the Women’s Commission, seminars conducted in museum premises, AKG centre and so on but IFFK is the most rewarding”, said Bindu, a worker in the unit while printing logos on new bags.

  Many models were shown to the authorities and IFFK director Priyadarshan selected the model for this year. This year’s bag is black in colour with an off-white logo on it and there are some notable differences in length and width too compared to previous years. The design for the logo was given by the festival authorities. The bags are made from a net-type material and the quality of cloth used is better than last year’s.

  The order for the bags was given in mid-October and the new bags were to be delivered by the end of November. Each member of the unit had to make about a thousand bags within a short span of time and the rains added to our troubles while drying the printed material, said Girija, the Secretary of the unit.

  Our unity is the factor which has led to our successful strides in the handbag business said another worker Ehiyamma with a smile.

       

Endeavoring to create another hit fest

Endeavoring to create another hit fest

The ace director Priyadarshan, who made us laugh our hearts out with Kilukkam ,kept us wonderstruck with Kancheevaram, gave a tinge of pain with Chitram and Thalavattom opens up his mind in a chat with second year MCJ students Visakh M, Harishma A S, Divya Vasu, HridHya Menon, Beena Anitha & Haridas K. C. 

Excerpts:

Festival attractions and concerns

This years film festival  will be indeed a  memorable one   as there are many attractions awaiting you. The most significant of those attractions would be a 2K projection system to improve the quality of films screening. Due to lack of sufficient funds academy could set up this system only in Sree Padmanabha. The festival which brings down films from across the world to our small state will be a unique one this time, that’s for sure.

Over the years, the festival has attracted an ever increasing number of entries and this time participation is at par with highly acclaimed film festivals. Another debutorial venture by IFFK is the “Cinema Market”    to bridge the gap between the international film promoters and the film makers in the Malayalam film industry. Malayalam film industry has a rich culture and studies on it would pave a platform to reach the global audience.

Controversy is a part of the festival.Academy has solid answers for the controversies spewed at it. Every International festival has it own rules which are meant to be observed. As per the norms   a film which participates in an A class festival is not supposed to participate in another A class Fest. Cannes and Toronto festivals too follow the same policy. This is the reason why the much acclaimed film “Adaminte Makan Abu” was excluded from the competition section. ‘Adimadhyantham’ which sparked controversies was dropped from festival as wrong affidavit was filed before the authorities. Academy cannot be blamed.

Priyan as a friend

I’ve several friends. The post of Academy chairman is indeed a threat to my friendship which I’ve carried over the years. For instance my close friend Santhosh Sivan’s ‘Urumi’ is not included in the competition section. Since he is aware of the technical issues involved, it didn’t create any problem. But there are people who interpret such actions wrongly.

Bolly vs Molly

With a mischievous smile on his face Priyan adds, they have money but we don’t. We cannot make films with all the splendour and glory we see in Bollywood movies due to shortage of funds. Bollywood actors are nowhere in comparison with Mollywood.  Bollywood celebrities need grooming sessions before a film whereas in Mollywood acting comes naturally. Sharukh Khan and Akshay Kumar belongs to this category but he was all praise for Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal. The number of national film awards this small state has bagged so far makes one wonder about the magnitude of talent in Kerala.

The Academy Chairman –Priyadarshan

Sitting in chair all day irks me as I used to run around the locations so much for work. To avoid discomfort I walk around my room and balcony in the office, adds Priyan with a smile. Despite all these I am enjoying the job entrusted upon me. Besides Cinema I’ve a genuine interest in playing and watching cricket.

About the Santosh Pandit Factor Priyan comments that the unexpected crowd puller is being mocked by the audience and its in no way a scoff at Malayalam Cinema. If we continually make such films, the movie goers will set the theatres ablaze.

Newest  from Priyan…

The magical duo Mohanlal and Priyadarshan teams up again for ‘Arabiyum Ottakavum P Madhavan Nayarum’. The film is a comical satire ,something for the audience to laugh their hearts out. I’m interested in all types of films and I love experimenting. I’ve done with films catering to different subjects. My next venture deals with the angst of eight people going for blood test. AIDS  is the theme of the film. Signs off Priyan.