JOIN USFriends and admirers of Chalam Bennurkar, pioneer of documentary film making in Karnataka, are releasing a book in his memory on April 4 at Nayana Ranga Mandira, JC Road.
The book, compiling his writings, is called ‘Bettada Navilugalu’ (Peacocks on the Hill).
It brings together works that had remained unpublished over the years. Filmmakers Girish Kasaravalli and Deepa Dhanraj and writer Kotiganahalli Ramaiah will speak about Chalam. Writers Chandrashekar Kalya and Keshav Malagi are the moving spirit behind the book.
Chalam, who passed away two years ago, was well-known for the various social problems he highlighted, especially about women, in his work. He was also known as the voice of the transgender community because of his documentary ‘All About Our Famila’.
Kalpana Chakravarthy, social activist and life partner of Chalam, told Metrolife Chalam was a brave man who spoke about problems often not talked about. As a filmmaker and writer, he was always pre-occupied with not just his work but also with the politics around him, she told Metrolife.
“He spoke about the things that affected the marginalised,” she says.
Chalam had won wide acclaim for a documentary about the child workers in Sivakasi, where fireworks are manufactured.
Kalpana is happy Chalam’s friends are taking his work to the world. “The book includes Chalam’s poems, short stories, notes on his documentaries, films, and his responses to many societal issues,” says Keshav Malagi, writer and close friend of Chalam. In his foreword to the book, Malagi says Chalam represented the ideals and aspirations of ‘70s youth.
“A lot of work has gone into sorting and choosing from Chalam’s abundant works,” he says.