Retrospective of arvindam gets underway with vasthuhara

Panaji, Nov 25 (UNI) A retrospective of the late Govindan Aravindam, a renowned Malyalam filmmaker, got under way with the screening of ''Vasthuhara'' at the ongoing 37th IFFI here today.

A total of five of his landmark films will be shown at the festival, including Kanchan Sita, Chidambaram, Esthappan and Thampu.

The directness, clarity and accuracy of his films reflect the universality of the subject and viewere are able to relate this to their own human attitudes.

Aravindan kept changing his cinematic forms consistently during his film career spanning almost 15 years from his first film ''Uttarayanam (1974) to his last film ''Vasthuhara'' (1990).

He sucessfully went beyond the limits and styles of filmmaking created by the new wave filmmakers of that time.

A director, painter and cartoonist with distinct style, Aravindam's main concern has been basic human values. His films show a rare intimacy with landscape and nature. This influenced the parallel cinema movement in Kerala to a great extent.

''Thampu'' is a lyrical film that chronicles three days when a circus visits a small village in Kerala and the ripples it creates in the village. Thambu won Aravindan the National and State film awards for the best director ''Estheppan'' (1979) is a magical search into the roots of a legendary character in a fishing village which won the State film award for the best film.

''Chidambaram' (1985) is a deeply symbolic exploration of the man woman attraction leading to betrayal and eventually to the purgatory of guilt.

Whereas ''Vasthuhara'' is a story of dispossessed people who lose their land, wealth and identity. He won the National Film Award (Golden Lotus Award) for Best Direction in 1978, 1979 and 1987.

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