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K.V. Kurmanath

I tell villagers not to come to cities to watch movies. We have the right kind of technology. Let it come to you and not the other way round.

B. Lenin: Off the beaten track

Hyderabad , Nov. 19

WHAT if the mountain doesn't come to the prophet? Then, the prophet must go to the mountain.

What should a film producer (particularly those who make off-beat films) do when theatres refuse to screen his movies? Or, what should villagers do when good films don't reach them?

The answer, according to the noted film editor and director-producer Mr B. Lenin, is to have your own projector and screen the films right in the heart of villages.

Mr Lenin, who has edited over 200 films in several Indian languages, did exactly that. "I bought a film projector for Rs 3.5 lakh, and gave it to a group which is running shows in villages around the Sattur area of Tamil Nadu," he said.

Mr Lenin is here to take part in the 13th International Children's Film Festival being held in the city over the last few days.

His film, Rekkai (Wings), was featured in the Asian Panorama section at the fete and has been received well by the delegates.

"I tell those villagers not to come to cities to watch movies. We have the right kind of technology. Let it come to you and not the other way round," he said.

Armed by the projector Mr Lenin acquired, a group of youth have started an informal group, which would tour villages and screen the films.

"States such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have the maximum number of villages. My intention is to acquire some more projectors and take the pictures to the countryside," the senior film editor said.

That Mr Lenin doesn't sound hollow on his love for villages is proved by his Rekkai.

The film is about Maari, an outcaste boy, whose parents are murdered by upper caste people, and a man called Thangayya, the toymaker, who strongly believes that spirituality is nothing but religiously continuing one's own family tradition.

The twosome makes good friends. While narrating the theme, the film depicts the rich and emotional relationships among people in rural areas.

"I pieced together threads from my own life. It's a somewhat autobiographical film," he said.

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