'Swapnadanam' screened to packed houses after 38 yrs

Thirty-eight years after it made a scorching debut at the celluloid, K G George's 'Swapnadanam' was screened to a full house at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in the auteur's presence.
Packaged as the inaugural flick in a set of debut films by master filmmakers, 'Swapnadanam', a black and white film made in 1976, was watched by an audience of Indian and foreign film enthusiasts, most of whom were probably much younger than the movie itself. The package is curated by noted film critic C S Venkiteswaran.
While George, who suffers from age-related ailments, was expected to take his leave after the small inaugural function, he ended up staying for the full length of the screening.

The filmmaker shared some old film experiences before he joined the audience for the viewing.
"I was happy to see the film with this generation of viewers," he said. "It is good to see that 'Swapnadanam' retains its freshness and attracts an enthusiastic audience even today."
Director K B Venu, who accompanied George, revealed that George had lent his voice to the film's protagonist, a doctor who suffers a nervous breakdown.
"It was good to see the director absorbed in his debut film," said programmes manager Bandhu Prasad. "It was a rare chance for the viewers to watch a film with the filmmaker and even the foreign crowd staying till the end. It shows that the film goes beyond language. The 100-day film festival at the biennale is a real celebration of cinema."

'Swapnadanam' featured Rani Chandra, Mohandas, Soman, theatre artiste P K Venukuttan Nair and Mallika, the mother of Mollywood stars Prithviraj and Indrajith. It went on to win the state award for best film and the National award for best Malayalam feature.