Tribal woman filmmaker sparks a change with Karinthandan

They say life often imitates art and vice versa. So when Pa Ranjith’s magnum opus Kaala broke box office records, it heralded a new epoch. The depiction and the mass acceptance of a Dalit protagonist was cheered on by the Dalit community across the country. But the focus now shifts from the Dalit community to tribals. In Kerala, a woman director aims to highlight the story of a tribal chieftain who changed the course for Wayanad, quite literally.

Meet Leela Santhosh, a woman who broke the glass ceiling in the field of movie direction and did it despite being a tribal herself. In her first directorial venture, Leela aspires to tell the story of Karinthandan, a tribal chief, who aided the British engineers to create the hairpin curve road in Wayanad Hills in the Western Ghats.

Karinthandan (1700-1750 AD) was the local chieftain of the Paniya tribe who resided in the Wayanad district of Kerala. However, many believe that he was merely a mythical character from a folklore of the community.

It is believed that the tribal chief was aware of every nook and corner of the Adivaram Valley. The British Viceroy had announced a reward to those who would build a road across the tunnel. To gain the reward and fame, an engineer sought Karinthandan’s help. The engineer then hatched a plan to eliminate the tribal leader. He hatched a clever plan; first he guided Karinthandan to a peak and then shot him. However a legend has it that he survived the attempt to kill him and lived on.

But according to other beliefs, after his murder, the soul of Karinthandan began to spook the passengers along the route. As a result, several accidents occurred here. Soon the natives called upon a sorcerer, who then ‘chained’ the soul of Karinthandan to a huge banyan tree. This tree is known as ‘Changala Maram’ (Chain Tree) in Malayalam and is the first sight that awaits the visitors who reach Lakkidi in Wayanad.

Speaking exclusively to National Herald, Leela talked about the lengths she had to go to, to understand her protagonist.

‘I have done my homework for three years. I had to talk to hundreds of people, had to read and watch hundreds of stories to know more about Karinthandan. Finally, my dream is coming true,” Leela said.

“Karinthandan was a legend and not someone who helped invaders, as he is often depicted by non-Adivasis. Several misconceptions about him continue to exist and I will try to address the same,” Leela, who is now in her 30s, added.

The film is being produced by Collective Phase One, a producers’ collective that includes the likes of sound engineer Resul Pookutty, cinematographer Rajeev Ravi, production designer Sunil Babu, editor B. Ajithkumar and cinematographer Madhu Neelakandan. Collective Phase One has made movies such as ID, Kammattipadam, Eeda, Kismath, Njaan Steve Lopez and Abahsam in the last four years. Vinayakan who won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Kammatipaadam in 2016 will essay the role of Karinthandan. “The making is scheduled to begin in coming December. One more sitting will be held to fine tune the things,” Leela said adding that Vinayakan was very much happy to be the part of the movie.

When asked why she wanted to make such kind of a movie, Leela said that she wanted to tell the story of her own community leader.

“The language will be a mix of tribal and modern to make it convenient for the viewers. We will try our maximum to ensure we don’t lose out on facts and at the same time retain a bit of fiction,” Leela, who has not attended any formal movie making course in any college, said.

In 2010, Leela made a documentary called Nizhalukal Nashtappedunna Gothrabhumi (The Tribal Land That Has Lost Its Shadows). The documentary threw light on the life and rituals of the Paniya community from Wayanad. Leela is a student of Kanavu, a gurukul school, in Wayanad.

Leela spent 13 years from 1994 to 2007 in Kanavu and is now helping the same school which shaped her thoughts and understanding. Kanavu, which literally means dream, was set up by social activist KJ Baby to resist the high dropout rates among tribal students in Wayanad.

While Leela remains optimistic about her directorial venture, what remains to be seen is whether the audience accept a tribal protagonist.

(The author is a member of The NewsCart, a Bengaluru-based media startup)