JOIN USNational Award for ‘Pingara’ a boost for coastal cinema
The announcement of the 67th National Film Awards for the year 2019 has brought cheer to the verdant shores of Tulunadu with ‘Pingara’, directed by Preetham Shetty, winning the Best Tulu Film award.
This is the sixth Tulu film to bag the National Award in the last 25 years after ‘Bangar Patler’ (1993), ‘Koti Chennaya’ (2007), ‘Gaggara’ (2010), ‘Madipu’ (2016), ‘Paddayi’ (2017).
Set in the coastal region of Karnataka, the film is named after the Tulu word for areca flowers — used in Bhoota Kola, a ritualistic practice intrinsic to the culture of the region. The story is set between the years 1960 and 2019 and spans three generations. It depicts the cultural changes post-Emergency, the impact of the Land Redistribution Act, the caste system, and the oppression of Dalit communities engaged in toddy-tapping. It also shows how Tulu people are connected with their land and their Deivas (divine spirits).
For Preetham, who grew up watching Bhootaradhane in Mangalore, 'Pingara' was an attempt to tell a story close to his heart. “In Dakshina Kannada, Deivaaradhane is considered more sacred than Devaaradhane. The people and culture are tightly woven into the script, and are not mere embellishments,” he says.
Preetham is grateful for the support and trust of Avinash Shetty, for whom 'Pingara' is the second National Award as a producer after 'Harivu', a 2014 Kannada film directed by Mansore.
Avinash, also a Mangalurean, wanted to showcase Dakshina Kannada’s unique customs and rituals to international audiences at film festivals. He was also intrigued by the hypocrisy of caste equations in the region that shift according to convenience.
“A Dalit man who works for a dominant-caste family is suddenly deified when he dons the makeup of a deiva for Kola. His prophecies and blessings are considered scared at night but in the morning, he is back to toiling in the fields,” he says.
'Pingara' was selected for Kannada and Indian film competition sections of the 12th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) in 2020. There, it won the Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award for best Asian movie. The latest Rajat Kamal honour this year also coincides with the 50th year celebrations of the Tulu film industry, lending it a special significance.
A journey that began in 1971 with ‘Enna Tangadi’ has seen the industry, also known as Coastalwood, produce social dramas, films on deivas and mythological figures while also regaling its audiences with humour. However, it plateaued out when comedy became synonymous with Tulu cinema.
“Comedy movies enjoy a good run. But for an industry to grow, you need a range of comedy, suspense, thrillers, social as well emotional dramas. Our idea was to make a film that would speak to a national audience,” Avinash says.
The language was another reason for Preetham to make 'Pingara'. “Though I work in Kannada films and TV, Tulu is my mother tongue. To include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as an official language has been a longstanding demand of Tuluvas. 'Pingara' is a small service to foreground Tulu language and culture,” he adds.
In Karnataka, Coastalwood is the fastest growing and most commercially viable film industry after Sandalwood, producing 12-15 films every year. While theatrical releases in coastal Karnataka as well as regions with a diasporic presence, such as Mumbai and Gulf states, do rake in returns, the reach is greater and lasting through OTTs — an ecosystem that continues to show resistance. Though OTT players are quick to invest in a work that has been validated with awards, they are understandably wary of buying small-budget productions in less spoken regional languages.
Homegrown content streaming platforms like Namma Kudla Talkies and V4 Stream are stepping in to offer coastal news, movies and web series directly to their audiences.
Even in the case of 'Pingara', a streaming platform approached the makers only after its NETPAC win. While an OTT release is the eventual plan, its makers are keen on a theatrical release — delayed due to Covid-19 to later this year. The award, they say, has come at the right time and will greatly help in bringing the audiences to the screens.