Date:30/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/30/stories/2008103050530200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

‘Kanchivaram’ for global film festival

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Team ‘Kanchivaram’ is all smiles now. Its hard work and commitment have paid off.

“I think this is the first time that a film from India has been selected for the competition category of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI),” said actor Prakash Raj, who addressed mediapersons here on Tuesday on behalf of the team. The results are, however, yet to be declared, he said.

The IFFI will be held in Goa between November 22 and December 2. Mr. Raj plays the lead as a Kancheepuram weaver in the film directed by ace director Priyadarshan. The team includes cinematographer Thiru, art director Sabu Cyril and actor Shreya Reddy. “It is a strong human interest story that focusses on how the protagonist handles the conflict between his ideology and personal dreams…the story is set in pre-independent India,” Mr. Raj said. He is said to have done a remarkable job in his portrayal of Vengadam, a silk weaver. The film also looks at the advent of communism in the country.

“Percept Picture Company was nice enough to invest in such a project…as a team, we were passionate about it and we believed it was a story that had to be told, and a production that would associate itself with world cinema,” he said. “The sound technology used is very sophisticated,” he added. The film, applauded at the Toronto Film Festival this September, also won rave reviews at many other international platforms, including the Pusan International Film Festival, Korea. “The audience in Toronto gave this film a nearly 10-minute standing ovation.”