But retribution catches up with him in the form of a resolute, relentless Inspector Jauvert-like police officer, who methodically hunts him down. In effect, he steals the buildings from their white owners through borderline legal maneuvers and brutal suppression of foes and it is hard to sympathize with the erstwhile owners.Īlong the way, he acquires a white, liberal, Jewish wife, whose brother, a junkie, he rescues from the clutches of drug-runners.
#Nayagan with english subtitles driver#
I thought it a riveting film: there was economy in the way the Kunene character, charismatic and thoughtful, grew from a car-jacker to a driver of an illegal taxi to the owner of several apartment blocks under the rubric of the Hillbrow people's housing society. I did not see this at the IFFK, but I had already seen it in elsewhere. In telling the fictionalized true story of a minor thug, Lucky Kunene, who transforms himself into a rich slumlord, it is following in the path of similar films such as the Tamil Nayagan, about a true-to-life Mumbai crime-lord. On the first day of the festival, there was the brilliant South African film, Jerusalema (2008), which is notable for its energy and for its tautly controlled violence. And then being stunned by Aravindan's Kanchana Sita, which requires at least two or three viewings and much rumination. With a single pass, I can attend as many shows as I wish - a far cry from waiting for hours for tickets for individual films in Chennai when I was a student, and finally sweet-talking friendly girls in the much shorter women's queue to get us also tickets. But that is no reason to not enjoy some of the good pictures available.Īll in all, this is quite a treat. They have rolled out the usual suspects who populate these festivals and pontificate some of the films also flog the same old tired cliches. Naturally, in this bastion of leftist thought, the selection of films reflects left-liberal groupthink. And even the festival handbook and the screening schedule are well-produced, tightly written, and easy to navigate. There seem to be many young fans - especially of the sling-bag variety - who are knowledgeable about world cinema. There are also many film societies, including Surya, which runs an annual 111-day cultural festival Chitralekha, started by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and a number of others. Malayalam consistently produces some of the best contemporary films in India. There is a strong film culture, engendered by a strong literary culture in Malayalam, which has produced outstanding directors such as that genius and mystic of cinema, the last G Aravindan, the master of the medium Adoor Gopalakrishnan, cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Shaji N Karun, and numerous others. It is not an expensive place, so that even penurious cineastes can find food and lodging for relatively little money and even the autorickshaw guys don't seem to be fleecing festival-goers too much. In this compact town, the nine theatres are all within a short rickshaw ride of each other. It does make a certain sense that Thiruvanathapuram would be a good locale for a regular film festival - this is the 14th annual version of the IFFK. I have been told that much of the credit for the good selection goes to the artistic director of the festival, Bina Paul. At first glance, the selection of films is quite overwhelming - there are over 160 films being shown over eight days in as many as nine theatres, so it is a little hard to pick and choose, especially when two films you pick may be running simultaneously. People have told me this is the best film festival in India, and I can well believe it. The films I attended actually started on time, there were practically no cellphones going off, and the shows I attended was not crowded, even though there are some 9,000 delegates. They are also sending out SMS announcements of changes in schedule. Wonder of wonders, I can even reserve a balcony seat for a show by sending an SMS. Amazing my jaw practically hit the floor. Sure enough it took me all of five minutes to get my pass: Walter had it ready for me complete with my photograph, identity number and password. I was able to register online, and the person on the phone when I called was quite helpful: "Just come to the media cell and ask for me, my name is Walter". In general, nothing works well in Kerala, so one has relatively poor expectations and compared to that, the International Film Festival of Kerala 2009 (IFFK), which kicked off on December 11 and will come to a close on December 18, is unusual: things seem to work like clockwork. This year I too joined the quasi-pilgrimage to my own home-town, and so far I have been pleasantly surprised by the festival's logistics and films.