g aravindan Thampu - 1978 (The Circus Tent) The film chronicles three days when a circus visits a small village in Kerala and creates ripples in the lives of the people. During this time, we learn the geography of the village - the banyan tree with leaves like transparent film, the shining water, the light in the sand at sunset… What we did on the first day was to call all the villagers and perform a circus act for them. There were a lot of people who had not seen a circus before. We shot their responses as they were watching. We did not ask them to do anything. After initial hesitation, they forgot the lights and the shooting and completely got involved in the circus. It was all very original. The film shows the lives of the villagers - school children running to the tent, the village women watching the acrobat perform, the soldier who befriends the circus strong man in a toddy bar, a pump attendant who sits on a rock each day watching a village girl bathe and dry her hair, the dwarf who brings back to the circus a watermelon larger than his head…. The bizarre characters from the circus merge with the local populace. The circus comes and leaves, and life goes on. Thambu won Aravindan the National and State film awards for the best director. Direction & Screenplay: G Aravindan Cast: Gopi, Nudumudi Venu, Sriraman, Jalaja, members of the Great Chitra Circus Cinematography: Shaji N Karun Music: M G Radhakrishnan Also read : Aravindan on Thampu Other films by Aravindan: | Uttarayanam | Kanchana Seeta | Kummatty | Esthappan | Pokkuveyil | Chidambaram | Oridathu | Marattam | Vasthuhara | | Home | Mail | | History of Indian Cinema | Indian Parallel Cinema | History of Malayalam Cinema | | Malayalam Parallel Cinema | Malayalam Middle-Stream Cinema | | Malayalam Cinema Database |