‘I feel like Abhimanyu in a chakravyuha’

National Award winner Girish Kasaravalli’s films are the toast of the art film circuit. Chinmayee Manjunath profiles the acclaimed director

Nine films in over 25 years and four National Awards. Girish Kasaravalli corrects me, hesitatingly, “I have actually won eight. Four have only been Swarna Kamals.”

Kasaravalli is a staple for film connoisseurs and the winner of this year’s Aryabhata Award for his contribution to Kannada cinema. A student of the Film Technology Institute of India, Kasaravalli’s first film was Ghatashraddha, adapted from the novel by UR Ananthamurthy. Over the years, films like Thayi Saheb, Mane (starring Deepti Naval and Naseeruddin Shah) and Dweepa (produced by the late South Indian star, Soundarya), among others, have won him acclaim at the national and international level.
“A film is not just about narrating a story,” says Kasaravalli. “I like to choose a theme that needs to be addressed and then see it from all possible angles. I hunt for images that will show these layers. This is difficult.”

Kasaravalli considers filmmaking a painstaking process. “After each film, I like to contemplate, discuss it with my colleagues. I want to find my weaknesses. This is very time consuming.”

Which explains the ‘nine’ films? “Well, if I just want to narrate a story, it can be done in six months,” he says. “But I prefer to place my theme in its historic context and among contemporary tensions. Use symbols. And when you do that, you end up with a film which is open to interpretation.”

This places his films in the genre of ‘art’ cinema, which obviously denies him box-office success. Kasaravalli smiles, “In India, we have this terrible practice of slotting things. My films can never be commercially viable because they cannot attract 300 viewers per show in an average theatre. But there is no other infrastructure. In Europe, for example, there are theatres that seat just 25 people.” So, is this a handicap? “I keep the budget as low as possible so my producers always recover their investments. And my work is appreciated by connoisseurs everywhere,” he says.

Is Indian cinema internationally equated with Bollywood and its slickly packaged films? “Mainstream cinema is accepted abroad not because of its intrinsic value, but because it has non-Hollywood cinematic themes. The peculiarities of Indian cinema make it appealing,” says Kasaravalli.

But, even in India, very few people are aware of non-Bollywood films. Kasaravalli agrees. “This is disturbing. Bollywood is projected as ‘the’ cinema and regional films are trampled on.” He looks agitated. “If only we selected films better, we would have won at least three Oscars. Ray’s Charulata was not sent for the Oscars in 1963.”

Kasaravalli’s film, Dweepa won the National Award in the same year as Lagaan and it was overshadowed by the blockbuster. “I cannot fathom this attitude where a strong body of work is not recognised by its value. It’s all about the packaging. We must look at Manipuri cinema with as much pride as we do at Bollywood. I feel like Abhimanyu in a chakravyuha sometimes,” he adds wryly. “As a ‘regional’ film-maker, I have to compete with Bollywood, Hollywood and mainstream Kannada films!”

Kasaravalli despairs at the lack of visual education in Indian schools. “We look at cinema as mindless entertainment. If only we gave young people the opportunity to see films by Kurosawa, Bergman or Ray, they will be equipped to appreciate good cinema.” Kasaravalli also points out that off beat films are not easily available to the public.
Is he happy with all the critical appreciation his films have won? “When I am making a film, I think that it’s the best thing I have ever done. When I watch it later, I discover something I like and lots of things I dislike, ” laughs the modest director.