Anil V. Nagendran, a lawyer by profession, spent more than eight years to make Vasanthathinte Kanalvazhikalil, a film on legendary Communist leader P. Krishna Pillai, but there are no takers for the movie, which cost him a fortune to make.
The 49-year-old produced and directed Vasanthathinte Kanalvazhikalil. Set in the 1940s, it highlights the role played by Pillai, founder of the Communist movement in Kerala, besides party legends such as A.K. Gopalan and E.M.S. Namboodripad in fighting casteism and feudalism.
The film has hit a few roadblocks. The first one came soon after its release in March. The Election Commission issued a notice to the filmmaker following complaints from the Congress party, saying the film’s screening during the Lok Sabha poll campaign could hurt them.
“As soon as the Election Commission served me the notice, I pulled out my film after a week in the theatres. It was running in 40 centres in Kerala,” Nagendran said.
Making the film was not a cakewalk. “I started research for my film in 2006. In 2010, I created the set in a village in Kollam district. The film was released in March this year. Since then, the going got tough,” said Nagendran.
Illustrious cast
The film’s cast features artists such as Samudrakani, Mukesh, Siddiq, KPAC Lalitha, Urmila Unni, Sudheesh and several others, while music has been scored by eight composers.
The film was the last work of legendary musician Dakshinamoorthy. Twenty-four artists, including K.J. Yesudas and Chithra, were roped in to sing nine songs.
“I was aiming to get satellite rights for my film. I had high hopes from the party-backed Kairali TV channel, but nothing has materialised yet. I recently vented my feelings at a function attended by senior party leaders,” said Nagendran.
Undaunted, Nagendran has planned his next move. “Even though I am an advocate by profession, my passion is films. I have started preliminary work on a proposed film that will speak about world peace.”
Meanwhile, he hopes to return screening Vasanthathinte Kanalvazhikalil in theatres during Onam.
