Sivan's new film looks at the third sex

Mumbai, Oct 21 (IANS) Super cinematographer Santosh Sivan has just completed a Tamil film "Navarasa", which takes a compassionate and unflinching look at a third-sex community that meets annually during a festival in Tamil Nadu.

"It's a festival of great joy and great sadness... the perfect metaphor for life," says Sivan.

He recently showed the film to the community to which it addresses itself... "And they freaked out!" said Sivan, who has won acclaim for his directorial ventures, "Terrorist", "Halo" and the underrated "Asoka".

"They were fascinated to see themselves on screen, in more ways than one. Not only have I depicted their lives with as much sensitivity as possible, but I've also used real life characters instead of actors. Almost every person in Navarasa plays himself, or something close," Sivan told IANS.

Little is known about the third sex community from a place called Villupuram.

Explains Sivan: "You must understand that these are socio-culturally more refined and financially more privileged members of the third-gender community than those we see at traffic signals in Mumbai.

"This isn't a film about peering curiously into a minority community but actually a facsimile of a little known cultural phenomenon."

Catching up with the reticent Sivan isn't an easy task. But now he seems to have acquired a new self-confidence as he talks about his recent work.

"Before getting into 'Navarasa' I found time to complete my first Malayalam film. I also took off to London to photograph Paul Berges' 'Mistress of Spices'. And now here I am."

"Navarasa" is a film Santosh is specially proud of. "It allows us to look at a fringe community of sophisticated third-sex people who believe that Krishna can turn into Mohini at will. I've intertwined myth with reality and by using the actors who are themselves gender challenged."

The most interesting part of "Navarasa" is the authentic location and faces.

Says Sivan, "I've used only one Bollywood actor, and that's Bobby Darling. He simply got into the mood of the film, even participated at a local beauty contest for the third sex and won first prize!"

The entire film unfolds through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl, herself on the threshold of womanhood, who suddenly finds her uncle taken up by the family jewels.

"I've imagined the girl's shock, curiosity and acceptance as being indicative of how audiences would react to my film. I'm hoping "Navarasa" would help them to understand the working of a supposedly unconventional mind better."

Pondering, Santosh continues: "I often feel like that girl in the film, looking into the vast canvas of the painting of life, trying to find meanings to the puzzle of existence. What am I? A cinematographer or a director? I don't know... I make a living out of cinematography. But directing films is the love of my life."

Santosh is on the verge of finalising two projects.

"Both are English films. I'd like to talk about them only when they're in place completely. I don't want to sound like people who keep threatening to do international films all the time."

Click the Movie button below for more info:
Navarasa