Don Palathara finds his own path

Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam

Don Palathara 

Don Palathara is at the centre of a budding movement in Malayalam cinema. In an industry that continues to raise the bar of new-generation commercial films, Don has travelled the path less trodden. The 34-year-old has made encouraging strides in independent filmmaking.

Experimental films are harshly judged as boring and abstract. Palathara’s two films this year challenge these popular opinions. ‘Everything Is Cinema’, streaming on Mubi and ‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam’, recently out on Neestream, are made with a modern sensibility. They are engaging, laced with humour, and close to reality.

Palathara and Sanal Kumar Sasidharan seem to have revived the avant-garde style, made popular in Malayalam cinema by the maverick John Abraham in the 1970s. Palathara experiments with form. Four out of his five internationally-acclaimed films are in black and white. The unique use of the camera gives an edge to his unconventional narration.

‘Everything Is Cinema’ is a lockdown story of a struggling filmmaker and his tumultuous relationship with his wife. ‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam’ is a single-shot film about an unmarried couple fighting over an unplanned pregnancy.

The director, who went to a film school in Sydney, spoke to Showtime about his shot yet promising career. Excerpts:

How is the independent filmmaking scene in India?

Since the digital revolution, many people have started making films. Cinema has become so common that anyone can have a unique voice. But there is no proper channel for independent filmmakers to sell their projects and reach the audience. There are many OTT websites for sure but you need to get recognised at important film festivals to convince such platforms.

Do you sense the beginning of a new movement?

I don’t consider myself as a part of any movement. The freedom and courage to disagree are at the core of being independent. It’s okay to differ and make your path. I am also someone who appreciates the work of other people.

‘Everything In Cinema’ is about the voyeuristic gaze of cinema. The camera becomes an intruder to everyone’s life…

I had some questions and I wanted to address them in a cinematic way. Then lockdown started and I wasn’t able to write the film I had planned. Then I started editing some footage on my hard disk. It was from Kolkata but I didn’t want to make a documentary. I wanted to do something fictional. I asked myself ‘How invasive cinema can be? How violent can the camera get?’

Why did you decide to shoot ‘Santhoshathinte...’ inside a car? What made you keep the camera static?

My questions about human relationships weren’t completely addressed. During the lockdown, I was witnessing many breakups around me. Many people were having relationship issues. I wanted to show what happens when people are forced to live together all the time. I decided to set this scenario in a closed place. I didn’t want to do a chamber drama.

That’s when I decided to shoot it in a car. You could partly see the exterior but feel the claustrophobia of being locked inside. This is how we felt during the many lockdowns.

How did you pull off the film in a single shot?

After finalising the actors, we spent almost a month on the script. We had a workshop with and without the script. Once they got into the characters, I gave them many scenarios to work out. I recorded their dialogues and finalised them. I wasn’t there to see them perform as I was monitoring from another car. I watched the film after they completed the take. We got five full takes and I chose the best one out of them.