Regional films steal the show at Goa film festival

PANAJI: Indian cinema seems to be hogging the limelight at the International Film Festival this year. While the Cinema of the World section, generally regarded as the showpiece of IFFI, has yet to come up with talk-of-the-festival films, it was two regional films which walked away with most of the applause on day three of the festival.
Shyamaprasad’s Elektra (Malayalam) and Rituparno Ghosh’s Naukadoobi (Bengali) created a strong buzz with their arthouse tenor.
After the award winning Ore Kadal, Shyamaprasad returns to IFFI with a film that has been with him since he was a student at drama school. Based on the Greek myth about the Hellenic princess and her obsessive love for her father, the film goes beyond the Freudian interpretation of the Electra complex, according to the director. ‘‘It looks at conflicting family loyalties in a contemporary set-up and holds relevance even today,’’ says Shyamaprasad. ‘‘I look for stories that may not have glitter and pomp but they must have a soul, a passion that ignites me and remains with me till the very end,’’ adds the auteur film maker who uses his craft like an accomplished artist.
Elektra, which marks the comeback of Manisha Koirala as an actor of import, is an intense and extremely nuanced documentation of familial intrigue in an aristocratic Malayalam household. Manisha breathes fire in the role of the mother and wife who seems to be miles away from the stereotype of the traditional woman. Matching her mystery is young Nayantara as Elektra, the daughter who cannot handle the untimely death of her father, Prakash Raj, even as she brims over with an unnatural, overwhelming passion for him. The cauldron of unconventional emotions and bonds brews against a beautiful backdrop of a rain-drenched mansion lit up intermittently by shadow and light.
The other film which left a strong impact on the viewers was Naukadoobi (Boat Wreck). The film, directed by Rituparno Ghosh and produced by Subhash Ghai, is based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore and was premiered at IFFI today. The craft of the film deserves a special mention: it’s intensely ornate and detailed, documenting a refined period with poetry and fluidity. Unfortunately, nobody from the cast was there to represent the film. Sad for IFFI.