Cinema is like pilgrimage, OTT is not: Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan

Hyderabad: The Moving Images Film Club, Hyderabad held a retrospective of three films by Adoor Gopalakrishnan in his presence. The three films made by the highly-acclaimed filmmaker were screened on three consecutive days at the Guruswamy Centre in Marredpally, Secunderabad.

Jayesh Ranjan, president of Moving Images Film Club, delivered a welcome address and felicitated the renowned filmmaker with a shawl and a book on Hyderabad as a token of appreciation.

Dr. Mohan Guruswamy, economist and writer, introduced Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the renowned filmmaker who has directed 12 feature films and 30 short films and documentaries. The director introduced his first film to the audience.

The retrospective began with the screening of Adoor’s first film, ‘Swayamvaram,’ on 17 February. The film stars Sharada, Madhu, Bharath Gopi, KPAC Lalitha, and others. The 50-year-old film has been screened in several international film festivals and won many National Awards and state awards. It resulted from a unique experiment of a film cooperative for the production of films and won four National Awards for best film, best director, best actress, and best cinematographer.

On 18 February, Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s film ‘Videhyan,’ starring Mammootty and Gopa Kumar, was screened. It won the National Film Award for best feature film in Malayalam and best actor award for Mammootty. It also won the International Film Critic’s Award.

The third film was ‘Kathapurushan’ (The man of the story) which was released in 1995 and starred Vishwanathan, Mini Nair, Aranmula Ponnamma, and others. It was screened at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning at the same venue. The film won the National Film Award for best feature film in 1995. Gopalakrishnan won the International Film Critic’s Award for this film too.

“I focused on making movies that focused and spoke about power struggles and submission. Most of my movies addressed the psychology behind power and misusing it,” said Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

About OTTs, the filmmaker said, “Restrictions will soon come from the government depending on the people at the top, and OTT is not cinema, as cinema is a communal experience like going on a pilgrimage. OTT is watching movies on a laptop or a mobile, but that is not cinema. Watching a film on a laptop or mobile is a minuscule experience of the real. There is no scope for high or low sounds, so the experience is a middle-range thing with too many distractions. It is a side activity, not a totally devoted one.”

He added, “OTT cinema must cater to an audience that is not necessarily devoted to it and is not necessarily keen on it. This is a challenge of proper cinema as it is not an improvement on anything that has been existing. Ultimately, this will destroy cinema.”