Chembai: My Discovery of a Legend

Chembai: My Discovery of a Legend began as a journey by Soumya Sadanandan to watch her favorite singer, Dr. K.J. Yesudas, perform live at a concert in the village of Chembai, in Palakkad district of Kerala which led the filmmaker to new personal discoveries.[1]

Chembai: My Discovery of a Legend
Directed bySoumya Sadanandan
Written byVinu Janardanan, Manu Chandran
CinematographyAjai Rahul
Edited byAjai Rahul
Production
company
Psyche Entertainments
Release date
Running time
36.11
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Synopsis

The village of Chembai was found to be entirely musically gifted and even a layman enjoyed a classical Karnatic music performance, just as a trained individual would. This quality was found to be attributed to the real gem of the villages Kottai and Chembai, Padma Bhushan Chembai, the Karnatic classical singer who wasn't merely an artiste, but was the man who valued the power of knowledge and music above all.[2]

This film is a collection of anecdotes recollected by the disciples of Chembai, an attempt made by the filmmaker to learn about the man who has been the key inspiration behind the Chembai Parthasarathy Music Festival that has been going on for over 100 years now.[3][4]

Production

Soumya visited Chembai Parthasarathy Music Festival during its 100th year in March 2014, where she noticed that, the festival did not receive the attention it deserve. She shot whatever she could using her phone and, went back to Cochin with it, where she discussed with her friends about making a film, then researched and planned to make it.

The team visited Chembai village later in February 2015 to shoot additional shots and many times later. The first cut of the film was released in September 2015 and later, interviews of Dr KJ Yesudas and few other eminent personalities were added and the final cut was released in 2016.

The film was shot mostly at the village of Chembai, Palakkad, Kerala. It took two years to make the film and the first public screening was held at Chembai Village, where the work was appreciated and blessed. The film is narrated in Malayalam, but has English subtitles.

Songs
Sl No Title Raga Talam Composer
1 Jagadaananda Kaarakaa Natai Adi Tyagaraja
2 Era Napai Hanumath Thodi Adi Patnam Subramania Iyer
3 Shiva Shiva Shiva Eranada Panthuvarali Madhyaadi Tyagaraja
4 Karuna Chaivanendu Sriragam Adi Irayimman Thampi
5 Thaye Yashoda Thodi Adi Oottukkaadu Venkatakubbaiyyar

Release

After its first screening at Chembai, the team is conducting screenings at several places around the world, after which they plan to make it available for viewing online.

Public Screenings
  • Chembai Memorial Hall, Chembai Village, Palakkad
  • Children's Park Theatre, Cochin as part of Signs Festival
  • Kalabhavan Theatre, Trivandrum - Public Screening
  • Siri Fort Auditorium II, New Delhi

Awards

Further Information

Documentaries
  • Swami - Chembai by N Krishnaswmy, broadcaster Doordarshan

References
  1. "Saluting a legend - The Hindu". thehindu.com. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. "Documenting the life of a legend". deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  3. "Chembai My Discovery of a Legend Photos | Images of Chembai My Discovery of a Legend - Times of India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  4. "Documentary on musical saga of Chembai Bhagavathar hit screens | The Indian Express". indianexpress.com. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  5. "64th National Film Awards: Here's the complete list of winners". 27 April 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  6. http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/national-film-awards-2017-complete-winner-list-4603752/
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