Ananya Kasaravalli dons father Girish's mantle

Chip off the old block

Like father, like daughter. Life has come a full circle for prominent Kannada director Girish Kasaravalli, who has strode like a colossus on off-beat, art cinema Kannada marquee. The proud father is basking in the glory of his equally prodigious daughter Ananya Kasaravalli.

Tutored by her illustrious father, and schooled at LV Prasad Film & TV Academy, Chennai, under the stewardship of renowned Tamil director K Hariharan, for her Masters, Ananya, with a couple of award-winning short films under her belt, is basking in the success of her maiden directorial feature Harikatha Prasanga (Chronicles of Hari).

The film will vie for the Centenary Award for Best Debut Feature of a Director at the 47th International Film Festival of India, 2016, in Goa, which gets under way on November 20. The winner will receive the prestigious Silver Peacock, along with citation and Rs 10 lakh cash prize.

Ananya’s Harikatha is contesting with six other films — Israeli film One Week & A Day by Asaph Polonsky, Chilean film Rara by Pepa San Martin, Lebanese film Tramontane by Vatche Boulghourjian, Algerian-French film Two Birds, One Stone by woman director Fejria Deliba, Wolf & Sheep, a Danish-Afghan film by Shahrbanoo Sadat and Wrath.

Ananya’s nuanced Harikatha Prasanga addresses gender identity issues, social prejudices, and how it destroys a talented artiste — stri veshadhari — coming to terms with his fragmented life as he straddles his search for acceptance, finally subsuming himself in the role he plays, following societal opprobrium.

Hari’s life is captured through two young documentary filmmakers. He is believed to have killed himself despite popularity in playing female roles. Providing different perspectives into his persona, the film, shot in Byndoor and Kundapur, spotlights on his strained relationship with his brother, failed marriage, travails as artiste, and the final decision to go for gender change to take on a woman’s personality completely.
Ananya’s film has been creating a buzz, receiving rave reviews at Busan International Festival, Jio Mumbai International Film Festival and is being featured at Kerala International Film Festival, in India Cinema Now Section.