‘Sringaram’ all set to be re-released for Margazhi: Why is this Tamil film on devadasis relevant?

Adito Rao Hydari in ‘Sringaram’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Madhura (Aditi Rao Hydari) closes the door. She takes off her saree and jewellery, wears simple clothes, places them in front of the landlord Mirasu and walks out of the house.

This is a powerful sequence ShringaramMade even more poignant by Madhu Ambat’s frame and Lalgudi Jaiman’s music. Originally released in 2008, the critically acclaimed film has now been digitally remastered in 4K and is set for re-release during this Margazhi season when music and dance are celebrated in Chennai.

Set between the 1920s and 1950s, the feature, based on the Devadasi era, tells the story of Madhura’s exploitation by her landlord. While it marked the debut of both its director (Sharada Ramanathan) and lead actor (Aditi Rao Hydari), Shringaram The technical team was full of stalwarts, including names like choreographer Saroj Khan, art director Thota Tharani, cinematographer Madhu Ambat and composer Lalgudi Jayaraman.

“One of the key meanings the film explores is: What does art mean? Where does it come from and what does it mean to the community it comes from? Shringaram Makes it relevant to you. After watching it, when you go to Kacheri, maybe you will listen to it differently because you know where it came from,” says Sharda.

A scene from ‘Sringaram’

The film attempts to delve deeper into its lead actor’s (played by Aditi Rao Hydari) relationship with dance and his passion for the art. How did he choose a young Aditi, who has since come a long way in her film journey? “Initially, the script included someone like Shobhana. At that time, I had actually asked Aditi if she was interested in acting as Shobhana’s younger sister. After the script was changed, Aditi became the lead, something which initially overwhelmed her, but then things fell into place.”

one of the main attractions of Shringaram Its music is by late 20 year old Lalgudi Ji Jayaraman^th Composer and violinist of the century. “I remember pursuing this project for more than six months,” recalls Sharda, “At that time, he had many offers from potential filmmakers, which he turned down. “Finally, he agreed to listen to the story and within 20 minutes of telling the story he was on to the story.”

She says the process of remastering the film for its re-release took a few months and was difficult. “The first step was to find the negative; Many negatives including some of Mani Ratnam’s works have been lost in the past. We were lucky to find it and had to restore parts of it; Prasad Labs made this possible for us.” Color correction and sound retouching were part of the process, on which Madhu Ambat worked for several weeks.

‘Sringaram’ director Sharda Ramanathan. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Shringaram There has been much celebration among the film fraternity; It won three National Awards and two State Awards, besides participating in more than 10 international film festivals. Sharda hopes its re-release will resonate with current audiences as it is rooted in Indian history and culture and has a universal message. At its premiere screening held recently, actors like Andrea Jeremiah and Ashwin Kakumanu praised the film for its “purity and innocence”. “The soul we have put into the project is visible,” says Sharda. It reminds me not to lose that spirit in everything I do.”