Veteran artist Namboodiri will script a short documentary film on auteur-cinematographer Shaji N. Karun. Their close association lasting several decades is what has inspired the master artist, known for his fluid sketches, to swap the brush for the pen this time around.
“It’s no doubt an honour for me that a visual artist of Namboodiri’s stature has decided to script the film. I have always believed that a filmmaker’s biography comes through his filmography. A creative artist is a bundle of nerves, so a synthetic approach to his works would not work. But when nonagenarian artist Namboodiri visualises it using his tremendous sense of imagery, architecture and visual sensibility, it gets a whole new dimension. It makes me proud that he’s writing the script of this bio,” says Shaji N. Karun.
“Nearly 70 per cent of the script is ready and the shoot is beginning very soon,” says Binuraj Kalapeetom, director of the documentary titled ‘Frames of a Light Bender’.
Binuraj, who has previously taken critically-acclaimed documentaries on literary critic M.K. Sanoo, jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer and artist Namboodiri (whose sequel is being canned at the moment), says the 45-minute long documentary will focus on Shaji the cinematographer.
“While we all see him as a filmmaker making artistic cinema, he’s primarily a cinematographer who handled the camera for the aesthetic films of G. Aravindan and several market-oriented films. In fact, he worked behind the camera for nearly 40 flicks,” says Mr. Binuraj. Which is why the documentary is being planned as a motion picture without any static shot. “Given that Shaji sir is known for using available natural light for shooting, we will be doing the same for the documentary, too,” he says. The film will have no interviews. The film is being made just when Shaji is busy carrying out final editing of his documentary on artist Namboodiri.
Art direction for the documentary is by Namboodiri’s son Devan. Produced by L. Santhosh under the banner of Universal Entertainers, switch-on for the film will be done by Namboodiri himself at BTH, near Rajendra Maidan on March 6 at 6 p.m.
Critic Sanoo master will preside and artist T. Kaladharan will light the lamp.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – March 02nd, 2015