'Watch films with mind, heart not intellect'

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 26 (IANS) Ace film director Kamal has said that filmgoers should approach a film with mind and heart and not with intellect.

He said this to reporters here, Sunday after his latest and 37th film "Karutha Pakshikal" was screened.

"This is a film where I am happy to say that I have not made any comprises unlike popular films of mine because this tells the tale of poor and the downtrodden. It is here that the average filmgoer should approach the film with his heart and mind," said Kamal.

Admitting that he was apprehensive about the film because it is a serious film, he said he is more comfortable after a week of its release because high opinions of the film have started pouring in.

Mammootty teams up with Kamal in the film after their last successful outing in "Raapakal".

The film tells the story of a Tamil immigrant Murugan (Mammootty), who makes a living out of ironing clothes in Kerala. He is a widower, who lives in a slum with his three children - one of whom is blind.

"I would love to make more of serious films because it expresses and arouses passion. But if there are few takers for serious films, then I would have no other go but to make popular films, which bring in the audience," added Kamal.

"May be I would not have that much courage to sit before you had this been a popular film because in popular films lot of compromises are made," said Kamal who, however, admitted that his next film is going to be a popular film set against the background of an international public school in Ooty.

He added that he would rate "Karutha Pakshikal" as his best ever film.

"See, despite having Mammootty in the film, the glamour aspect of Mammootty has not at all been exploited. Instead the actor in the star has been exploited," added Kamal.

He said if the Malayalam film industry is to raise its standards and come out of the crisis more artistic films have to be made.

"A qualitative change can save the industry and what happens most of the time is that nine out of the 10 directors who come into the field take the same old beaten track and this is not good for the industry," said Kamal.

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Karutha Pakshikal