Sanskrit: A Sanskrit film about women wins the hearts of the Biffes | Bangalore News
Bengaluru: A gripping story – told in Sanskrit – of a woman who lived in Kerala at the turn of the 20th century plotting revenge on 64 men who raped and murdered her young neighbor, drew applause during the ongoing 13th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes) .
Taya (By Her) screened in the Asian Cinema category on Tuesday. Its creator G Prabha was delighted with the reception. The 112-minute film mixes entries from real events with fiction and is about the struggles of a Namboodiri woman named Kuriyedathu Savitri Antharjanam in a village in present-day Palakkad. “I can say that Taya is the first Sanskrit film with an in-depth social theme of female empowerment through the character of Savitri. Conventionally, Sanskrit films are mostly assumed to be based on religion or language, and my film is an attempt to change that stereotype,” said Sanskrit and Malayalam teacher Prabha.
Filmed in Thrissur, Kerala, last March on a 24-day schedule, Taya revolves around Arya who is raped and killed by 64 men. Before dying, the young widow recounts her ordeal over the years to her confidante and neighbor Savitri. Savitri avenges Arya and exposes the culprit. The story ends with Savitri killing the village chief who also victimized Arya.
The film, produced by Gokulam Gopalan, premiered at the Pune Film Festival on Friday, much to the delight of audiences, leading to a second screening. Taya was the last film of veteran Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu and Kathakali exponent Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri who play key roles.
Prabha claims that Sanskrit movies don’t get enough appreciation or funding. “Most people mistakenly think that Sanskrit is a Brahmanic language and that films of the genre are only based on temples or religion. There is immense potential for good cinema with social themes that have commercial value such as regional language and Hindi films. Unfortunately, there is no encouragement for Sanskrit films from the states of India and there is no single award category for the genre. Unfortunately, Doordarshan doesn’t give weight to such films either.
Taya (By Her) screened in the Asian Cinema category on Tuesday. Its creator G Prabha was delighted with the reception. The 112-minute film mixes entries from real events with fiction and is about the struggles of a Namboodiri woman named Kuriyedathu Savitri Antharjanam in a village in present-day Palakkad. “I can say that Taya is the first Sanskrit film with an in-depth social theme of female empowerment through the character of Savitri. Conventionally, Sanskrit films are mostly assumed to be based on religion or language, and my film is an attempt to change that stereotype,” said Sanskrit and Malayalam teacher Prabha.
Filmed in Thrissur, Kerala, last March on a 24-day schedule, Taya revolves around Arya who is raped and killed by 64 men. Before dying, the young widow recounts her ordeal over the years to her confidante and neighbor Savitri. Savitri avenges Arya and exposes the culprit. The story ends with Savitri killing the village chief who also victimized Arya.
The film, produced by Gokulam Gopalan, premiered at the Pune Film Festival on Friday, much to the delight of audiences, leading to a second screening. Taya was the last film of veteran Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu and Kathakali exponent Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri who play key roles.
Prabha claims that Sanskrit movies don’t get enough appreciation or funding. “Most people mistakenly think that Sanskrit is a Brahmanic language and that films of the genre are only based on temples or religion. There is immense potential for good cinema with social themes that have commercial value such as regional language and Hindi films. Unfortunately, there is no encouragement for Sanskrit films from the states of India and there is no single award category for the genre. Unfortunately, Doordarshan doesn’t give weight to such films either.