"Good Cinema should disturb you"

Everybody has his own concept about a good movie. For Priyanandanan, director of Pulijanmam which won the best feature film award at the 54th National Film Awards 2006, good cinema is something that prompts us to think.

"It is something that moves you and prompts you to think. Good cinema does not necessarily make you happy, but it should certainly disturb you. Cinema should be capable of changing the self of the viewer," he said.

However, Priyanandanan added that to make good movies, every film-maker should learn from theatre. "Each and every play provides new texts of acting, direction, scripting and so on. Theatre demands more depth, more involvement, and more learning. I would say every film-maker has something to learn from theatre. Theatre can provide a strong base for a film-maker."

Talking about the main crisis in promoting good cinema, Priyanandanan said that the main issue is the lack of enough distributers. "The big players in distribution were not willing to take my Neythukaran or Pulijanman. But they are ready to pay lakhs for films of superstars, but offer only a meagre amount to people like me. I am not looking for profits, but at least the producer should get his money back. I also need resources to start the next project," he revealed.