R. Sarath

R. Sarath is an Indian film director and screenwriter working primarily in the Malayalam film industry.

Career

Sarath’s rendezvous with films started with Sayahnam (Twilight) in 2000.The film marked his debut as a director and script writer and he won accolades for both at the Kerala State Film Awards. Sayahnam won a staggering seven awards at the State Film Awards and also the Indira Gandhi National Award for debut director. The film was featured at the Munich International Film Festival, 2001 in the competition section and was invited to many popular international film festivals.

In his next feature film Sthithi (Plight) Sarath told the gripping tale of a middle-class couple who face the onslaughts of fortune. The film premiered at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2003 and received rave reviews at various international film festivals where it was screened. His third feature film Seelabathi (2006) a harrowing drama set in rural Kerala exposed grave social evils. The story unfurled through the experiences of two youth who come from outside the village. The film received both box-office success and positive remarks from critics and featured at the Asia Pacific film festival in Taiwan.

Sarath also scripted and directed a Hindi feature film, an Indo-Chinese co-production tilted The Desire - A journey of a woman (2011). The unique film was screened at various international film festivals and fetched numerous honours, most prominent being the best film award at the Geneva International Film Festival. The film bagged awards at the South Asian film festival New Jersey, New York city International Film Festival, Jaipur International Film Festival and official selection in Boston and London International Film Festivals. The Desire depicts the eventful journey of an Indian classical dancer and her love for a Chinese artist who she met during a travel assignment. The film starring Indian actress Shilpa Shetty and Chinese superstar Xia Yu celebrates the theme of love beyond borders.

In Parudeesa (2012) Sarath embraced new horizons of thought delineating the perpetual disagreement between orthodox and unorthodox paths of religion. Parudeesa bagged awards at the Mexican International Film Festival and the Amsterdam Film Festival. This popular film is still screened at festival circuits internationally.

His latest film Buddhan Chirikkunnu (Buddha Smiles) pays homage to Charlie Chaplin the maestro who never ceases to amaze with his phenomenal career. The film celebrates Chaplin’s life at the centennial commemoration of his acting career. It portrays an Indian comedian who idolize Chaplin. He believes his life resembles Chaplin’s and nurtures the desire to depict his hero on the big screen. However, he rules out a blind imitation of the late legend.

During the filming of his internationally acclaimed documentary The Painted Epics, Sarath discovered some rare mural paintings of Raja Ravi Varma in Kilimanoor temple. The serendipitous discovery contributed greatly to the study of murals. Sarath has studied murals in detail and received a junior fellowship from the Department of Culture, Government of India in 1996, for his research on murals. He is now involved in experimental non-feature films which covers contemporary themes.

Of date there are 10 documentaries and 5 short films also to Sarath’s credit. Purani Dhun (Hindi), The Painted Epics, Divine Love, and Lasyangana mesmerised art lovers in India and abroad with its visual poetry and classic rendering. The docu-fictional Bhumikku Oru Charamagitam (A Requiem to Earth), a short film on eco-feministic aesthetics based on the renowned Malayalam poem of the same name by legendary poet O. N. V. Kurup was greatly appreciated for its style and has been screened before elite audiences, both at home and abroad.

Official Website : http://www.sarathfilmdirector.com/

Personal life

R. Sarath, is a post graduate in English literature and has received formal training in Film Production and Journalism. His skills were honed while an apprentice with revered Indian Film maker Shaji N. Karun and the Swiss legend Markoos Impoof. He is currently working as Deputy Director at the Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala. He previously served as the Director of MPCC and Secretary of Bharat Bhavan under the Kerala State Cultural department. Sarath also had the honour of working as visual Director in India’s first prestigious multi-media project - Geet Govinda, a collaboration involving The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi and the multimedia design expertise of XEROX Palo Alto Research centre, USA. Dr Kapila Vatsyayan wrote the script for this multimedia venture in 1997. Sarath was the festival director of IUKFF 2007 in London. He also served as a jury member for the National Film Award in 2011 and was the jury Chairman of the Kerala State Television Award in 2012.

Awards

• Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director - Sayahnam
• Kerala State Film Award for Best Film - Sayahnam
• Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film - Sthithi
• Kerala State Film Award for Best Short Film - Bhoomikku oru charamageetham
• Kerala State Film Award for Best Story - Sayahnam
• Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the 2011 Geneva International Film Festival - The Desire