idaneram: The man from the hut became the film maker

idaneram: The man from the hut became the film maker:

Bhasi

Born the rural lower cast’s colony Irumpanam at Ernakulam District of Kerala State in South India, Irumpanam Bhasi produced debut feature film named Bodhi, Directed by G Ajayan. The film is based on Kerala’s great poet Kumaran Asan’s ‘Chandala Bhishuki’, Rabindra Nath Tagor’s ‘Chandaalika’ , Laxmi Narasu’s ‘Buddha and His Dhamma’ and Dr. B R Ambedkar’s book also.

The story is about the Monk Anantha and Mathangi – the girl from Chandala the out caste- that is taken Jataka Tale of Lord Buddha’s early birth. The film completed in the year 2008, but not yet released.

The name Irumpanam is related with legendary Asura Goddess Hidumbi – not an Aryan Goddess or Dravidian Goddess coming from ‘Mahabharata’. ‘Vanam’ means forrest. The words Hidumbi and Vanam joined, it became’ Hidumbavanam’ and later ‘Irumpanam’. One of the most acclaimed novelist Mr. M M Menon, in his Novel ‘ Jeevaparyantham’ (Lifelong imprisonment) says both legendary and history of this place widely. And there is place in kochi city called Karikkamuri, it is said that the place is made by the inhabitance from Irumpanam. 

The producer Bhasi Irumpanam himself coming from Pulaya caste also an untouchable caste now called Daliths. His parents were agricultural laborers. Father died and mother still alive at the age of sixties. Except Bhasi, only a sister and she is married, now lives with husband and children.

Bhasi’s childhood was difficulties with poverty and caste crises. So he could not complete his school education and discontinue at 8^th standard. And went to daily wages works with parents. Later he joined as a head load worker with CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions), conducted by a leftist political party. In that period he associated with Folk Song Parties and sung many occasions and festivals. Until he took goodwill in folk music, and colleagues compelled him to join them ever and leave from as the head load work. Bhasi remembered that he had also political miss opinion to his cadre party; at last he leaved from them. He sung a folk song as background in his own Cinema; create in tribal language Paniya one of the tribe in Kerala.

Scene from 'Bodhi'

Then he joined Prof. Chandradasans drama troup as an actor.   Prof. Chandradasans is well known for his stage presantation of India’s Great Poet Bhasa’s ‘Karnabharam’. The drama performed many of stage countrywide and abroad. The plot of the play ‘Karnabharam’ is also taken from legend ‘Mahabarata’. But Bhasi acted only Shakespearian plays and Greek, directed by Prof. Chandradasan. But, the experience with Prof. Chandradasan is not good remembered, Bhasi says, and after that he leaved from there too. Then he made a solo Written and directed by K R Remesh named ‘The Hen with Red Beard’, it gave Bhasi more fame in theater art.

In Prof. Chandradasan’s camp Bhasi did meet with G Ajayan , who is also an actor with them. Their friendship grew up there and it lead to them to create the movie ‘Bodhi’ .The script and concept of the movie by Ajayan and money by Bhasi. Sold some of his land Bhasi collected money for the movie, even though his hose is in poor condition with clay-tiled roof and damaged wall. This attempt gave Bhasi more wraths from his own people, and he did not mind it. Monitory crisis did stop making of the movie several times, but borrowed money from somewhere, at last they did their dream to realize in the year 2009, but Bhasi became a debtor to others.   

In Search of identity - g sidharthan

Ajayan has always used his plays to probe the identity issues of those forced to the margins by mainstream society. Be it his wellcrafted ‘Oru Dalit Yuvathiyude Kathanakatha’ based on the novelette by M. Mukundan or ‘sidhartha’ based on Herman Hesse’s work.

        And he continues to do so in his debut film ‘Bodhi’, which is loosely based on ‘chandalabhikshuki’ by Kumaran Asan and ‘chandalika’ by Rabindranath Tagore. “Both these poems delved into the caste issue. However, I wanted to go into the history of ostracism based on caste. That’s how I came across Ambedkar’s work ‘Buddha and Dharma’. My film takes the path between the Buddha and Ambedkar, says Ajayan.

Taking on the System

        The film tracks the life of Mathangi, a woman from a backward community, who is not allowed to draw water from the public well. She is shocked when Buddhist monk Aanadan asks for water to quench his thirst.

        That was the beginning of her journey to find her self and identity. She leaves behind the bondage imposed by society and takes on the system.

        She believes initially that her attraction towards Anandan is carnal, only to realize that he is just a tool in her path he is just a tool in her path to deliverance. Ajayan’s film, takes off from this storyline and brings in the politics of the subaltern.

        More than once does the film depicts Buddhist monks under attack. It also shows Prasenajith, a Kshathriya king, challenging the Buddhist group on where to place them socially, as the ‘Manusmriti’ had defined only four social compartments.

Interestingly, the Buddhist monks who are depicted to have won over material worries and bounding are seen fleeing, screaming, whenever they are attacked. At one point, a group of armed tribals comes to the rescue of a Buddhist group under attack. “I wanted to dispel the much accepted notion that the Buddha was a pacifist. I prefer to treat the Buddha as an activist. The film starts off from where Ambedkar ended”. The film ends with footage of Ambedkar and his followers embracing Buddhism.

        The journey of Mathangi, portrayed effectively by Pooja, a student of the School of Drama, Thrissur, is divided into four segments-Neeru (Water), Nadi (River), Pragnja (Intellect) and Yatra (Journey).

        For a film that took more than two years in making, ‘Bodhi’ still has much chiselling to be done. There are many portions where the impact of theatre dominates over the art of film; especially in the scene where Prasenajith, portrayed by Ramesh Varma, renowned theatre person and head of the Department of Theatre, Sree Sankaracharya Universityof Sanskrit, attacks the Buddhist hermitage.

        “Moving on to  film was a decision taken deliberately, as I have always found it hard to organise repeated staging of plays. Now, I have the freedom to take the film, and its politics to palces”, says Ajayan.