When Mohanlal met Artist Namboodiri

Akhil Sathyan’s brief movie Gandharvan — Two legends and a portray, on a quick assembly between Mohanlal and the legendary Artist Namboodiri, is a picturesque and gracious ode to 2 artists who’ve a particular place within the hearts of Keralites.

The movie, launched on YouTube on March 21, has gone viral and Akhil is on cloud 9 with appreciation flowing in from all quarters. The seven-and-a-half-minute brief captures some pleasant moments between Mohanlal and the artist with whom he has had a protracted affiliation.

A nonetheless from Akhil Sathyan’s brief movie ‘Gandharvan — Two legends and a Painting’ reveals Mohanlal assembly Artist Namboodiri on the latter’s home in Edappal, Malappuram
 
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As Namboodiri says within the video, the 2 met for the primary time at Namboodiri’s home in Cholamandalam Artists’ Village in Chennai. Over the years Mohanlal has collected and commissioned many works of Namboodiri’s.

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Mohanlal, a “custodian of art works”, as he likes to name himself, had requested Namboodiri for a portray of Kama Deva (the God of Love in Puucho mythology). The 96-year-old artist got here up with a six-feet portray of a Gandharvan (celestial being).

“A senior scribe who is close to Mohanlal and my father (Sathyan Anthikkad) got in touch with me as Lal sir wanted a video of his meeting with Namboodiri sir at the artist’s home in Edappal, Malappuram, when he received the painting from the artist. He wanted it to be a quiet affair with just one person recording it for posterity,” says Akhil, who’s busy capturing his directorial début Pachuvum Athbhuthavilakkum with Fahadh Faasil.

As Fahadh suffered a mishap throughout a shoot, Akhil was within the midst of a break. But he questioned if he would be capable of do justice to the mission as his thoughts was occupied together with his movie. However, Sathyan suggested him to take up the chance to shoot “two legends” collectively.

Filmmaker Akhil Sathyan and cinematographer Sharan Velayudhan in the course of the capturing of ‘Gandharvan — Two legends and a Painting’
 
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“My father reminded me how Malayalam littérateurs MT Vasudevan Nair and VKN wanted Namboodiri sir to illustrate their works and how my father used to buy magazines in which the artist’s works appeared. I got Lal sir’s permission to get on board cinematographer Sharan Velayudhan. I reached my house in Anthikkad in the wee hours of March 10. The shoot was to be done later in the day,” remembers Akhil.

Early within the day, they began for Edappal from Thrissur. On a hunch, Akhil requested Mohanlal if he might accompany the star in his automobile. He agreed and that proved fortuitous for the director. He was in a position to seize a number of pictures of the actor speaking about his interactions with Namboodiri and a couple of work he had commissioned on a specific verse on Adi Shankaracharya’s ‘Soundaryalahiri’.

Mohanlal with the portray of ‘Gandharvan’, painted by 96-year-old Artist Namboodiri
 
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Mohanlal explains within the video that although he has a number of artwork works in his home in Chennai, most guests are drawn to this specific work by Namboodiri and, invariably, they need to know extra concerning the artist and the portray. He feels it’s due to the fantastic thing about the artist’s distinctive traces, refined use of colors and wealthy background.

To be certain that the capturing didn’t in any method show troublesome for the artist, each Akhil and Sharan took COVID exams and shot the movie with out inconveniencing the artist in any method. “That was something Lal sir insisted upon. Although I was stressed and worried about how the film would turn out, as soon as Mohanlal sir stepped into Namboodiri’s house, his quiet but reassuring presence put us at ease and we went about our work quickly,” says Akhil.

Akhil Sathyan is the director of the brief movie ‘Gandharvan — Two legends and a Painting’
 
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For the subsequent ten days Akhil labored on the edit of the movie. When he despatched the primary draft to Mohanlal, the actor, busy with the pre-shooting work of his first stint behind the digital camera, Barroz, felt the movie can be enriched with an image of the portray of the ‘Soundaryalahiri’ and despatched it to Akhil. Namboodiri’s son, Devan, despatched two brief movies of his father engaged on the portray of the Gandharvan.

Akhil’s talent as a filmmaker involves the fore within the brief movie crafted with minimal frames and no fancy gear. Beginning with the primary shot by which the veteran artist explains with a chuckle how Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboodiri got here to be often known as Artist Namboodiri, to the final body that claims that the look of the Gandharvan in auteur Padmarajan’s cult movie Njan Gandharvan was designed by Namboodiri, the brief movie showcases Akhil’s craftsmanship in shaping a story.

And complementing him was none aside from the National award winner, director Priyadarsan. “Possibly the most important happy accident in my life!….This film is deeply personal and too close to my heart!” notes Akhil on his Facebook web page.

He additionally thanks Priyadarshan… “for lifting my confidence with a protracted appreciation name, being very wise and logical, detailing why he cherished this brief work of mine! Your phrases are deeply carved in coronary heart Priyan uncle!”