Ask anyone out there, and the general opinion would be that Sanskrit as a language is passé. Literary works in Sanskrit seldom hop on to headline space these days, even as the current government at the Centre has been doing its bid to restore the Dev Bhasha back to the mainstream.
Such initiatives had in fact been reported, but with a good amount of criticism against the manner in which the Modi sarkaar has been trying to aid the comeback of the language of the gods. Even as the debate on Sanskrit as a prime subject in schools is raging, a film that would talk the language would get on to the floors this July 1, down south in Kerala.
Titled Priyamanasam, the film will be the first Sanskrit movie to be made in India after a 22-year gap. If you happen to be a hard core film buff, you might have heard about the GV Iyer opuses Adi Sankaracharya, made in 1993, and Bhagawad Gita, made in 1993 – the only two films made in Sanskrit in a country that takes pride in its Sanskrit-speaking tradition.
Priyamanasam
So, when Priyamanasam is complete, what we would be illuminating the silver screen would be the tale of Unnayi Warrier, the 17th century poet known for his Kathakali music narrative of the Nala-Damayanti romantic saga.
The film, apart from getting set to hit headlines in a big way for being a Sanskrit flick, is also film maker Vinod Mankara’s tribute to the poet and scholar who had not hitherto got a memorial or due accolades for his works.
Vinod, who has already made a name with his recent, poignant Malayalam flick Ottamandaram, which reaped a handful of awards at the regional level, looks at creating a celluloid memorial for Unnayi Warrier, with his Priyamanasam.
The film is also expected to be a milestone in the career of Rajesh Hebbar, a regular in the Malayalam television serials circuit. Hebbar would play the scholar-poet in the Sanskrit film, while Kuchipudi exponent Prateeksha Kashi would play the female lead.
As the camera starts to roll this July 1, don’t you think Sanskrit on celluloid could be something worth waiting for this year?
