Pa Ranjith held a special screening of his latest film Natchathiram Nagargirathu in Mumbai. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who was one of the attendees, has called the film his ‘favourite Pa Ranjith film’.
In a note shared on Instagram, Kashyap wrote, “Saw #natchathiramnagargiradhu last night. The uncensored version . This is a film playing inside Pa Ranjith’s head. There is an order in his chaotic mind.”
“Where so many of his identities are having conversations and conflicting with each other. They just want to be and in order to be, they have to assert themselves and hold on to their grounds. It’s a film about love and how it needs to survive above all prejudice and hatred. Rene in the film imbibes the spirit of Pa Ranjith.”Anurag Kashyap
He added, “This is his most personal work and my favourite Pa Ranjith film. He is his most vulnerable and naked in this film. Special mention for all the wonderful actors and the music and the cinematographer and the editor and the whole crew.”
Trade analyst Ramesh Bala shared pictures from the Mumbai screening and wrote, "Dir @anuragkashyap72 hugged #PaRanjith & praised him after watching #NatchathiramNagargiradhu in Mumbai Crew is excited by the shower of congratulatory messages.."
Filmmakers Nandita Das, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Ashwini Chaudhry also attended the screening, Talking about the film, Ghaywan tweeted, “@beemji opens #NatchathiramNagargiradhu with Nina Simone playing over a Gustav Klimt to see a couple arguing over Ilaiyaraaja. Irreverent, form-bending masterpiece from Pa Ranjith! Outstanding performances by Dushara Vijayan, Kalaiyarasan Anbu and Kalidas Jayaram.”
Natchathiram Nagargiradhu stars Dushara Vijayan, Kalidas Jayaram, Kalaiarasan, Hari Krishnan, Subatra Robert and Shabeer Kallarakkal.
Pa Ranjith, in an interview with Indian Express, said, “It’s not a romantic film, but one that discusses romance and love. It is about a group of people, who discuss love. The group has straight and queer couples, but the centre plot revolves around Rene (Dushara), Iniyan (Kalidas Jayaram), and Arjun (Kalaiyarasan).”
The filmmaker added, “Arjun is the representation of a typical Indian male, who is shaped by society’s casteism and other belief systems. On the other hand, Iniyan is someone with progressive thoughts, but he also has his limitations. Rene is a Dalit, who is unabashedly bold. I am constantly asked why I am an extremist. With Rene’s character, I have answered why.”
Natchathiram Nagargiradhu releases in theatres on 31 August.
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