Vinod Mankara‘s Priyamanasam has been in the news for the last few months. Only the 3rd ever Sanskrit film made in India, the film was rejected by the International Film Festival of Kerala but has gone on to make it to other festivals and has now won the National Award for Best Sanskrit film this year. The film is produced by Baby Mathew Somatheeram and features Rajesh Hebbar in the lead along with Meera Sreenarayan, Prateeksha Kashi, Rachana Narayanankutty, Devan etc. The music is by Sreevalsan J.Menon while Shambhu Sharma is the DOP and Hashim is the editor.
Synopsis: Priyamanasam focuses on one of the greatest creative geniuses who lived in Kerala during the late 17 th century, Unnayi Warrier and his masterpiece, the incredible romantic composition Nalacharitham Attakadha. The film gives a true and authentic record of the agony and ecstasy experienced by the poet Unnayi Warrier during the creation of Nalacharitham Attakadha. The film is set in the serene background of Travancore in the later part of the 17th century.
The story swings between real life characters and the characters borne from the poet’s pen. The characters of Nalacharitham- Nalan, Damayanthi, Kali ,Bahukan and Hamsam in their “kathakali veshams” come alive in his mind. They communicate with him their innermost thoughts and feelings. They question him about the way they have been portrayed in the story. The past, the present and the future intermingle creating several temporal loops in the mind of the audience with the clever depiction of the three female characters who influence the poet, Thankam his lost love, Vishalam, the maid who loves him and Damayanthi, his heroine, his embodiment of love. “Priyamanasam” brings out how an artist’s personal and creative lives intermingle.
Check out the trailer-
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