UTTARAYANA AND MEMORIES OF G. ARAVINDAN Uttarayana indicates the progress (of the sun) to the north; the period of the sun’s progress to the north of the equator, the summer solstice. (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Monier Williams). The Surya Siddhanta defines Uttarayana as the period between Makara Sankranti (which falls today) and Karka Sankranti (which occurs around July 16). The well-known Indian filmmaker G. Aravindan’s debut film was called ‘Uattarayanam’ (The Throne of Capricorn, 1974), produced by Pattathiruvila Karunakaran, a well-known writer himself. It was co-scripted by another leading Malayalam writer P. Kunhanandan Nair (better known by his pan-name Thikodiyan). Aravindan’s film ‘Uttarayanam’ is about a disabused young man, Ravi, who has a series of ironic encounters while looking for a job. One of his mentors Kumaran Master, and his now critically ill friend Setu had participated in the 1942 Quit India Movement with Ravi’s father. The lawyer Gopalan Muthalaly, also a participant in this movement, has become a rich contractor and an example of the corrupt post-Independence bourgeoisie. Ravi leaves the city in a mystical ending. Aravindan’s approach to his lead characters and his framing evoke the cartoon characters Ramu and Guruji from his ‘Small Man and Big World’ series. As already mentioned, within the sun’s cycle, its best movement is Uttarayana and that also symbolizes Ravi’s own Uttarayanam – his journey or movement into the forest, where he finds his peace, his reconciliation. Images: G. Aravindan directing. Premji (left) in Uttarayanam.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 07:19:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015