'Celluloid' pays tribute to J.C. Daniel

Kochi: Acclaimed Malayalam film director Kamal today said his biopic 'Celluloid', which will hit theatres tomorrow, is a tribute to J.C. Daniel, considered as the father of Malayalam cinema.

Daniel was "sidelined" by history and the film is a touching tribute to the filmmaker who died unsung, Kamal told reporters after a preview of the film, which has Prithviraj playing the lead role of Daniel and Mamata Mohandas essaying the role of his wife Janet.

The movie is directed, scripted and co-produced by Kamal, who says he could not give any assurance to his producers that it would do well at the box office.

Daniel was the first filmmaker of Kerala who produced, directed, wrote, photographed, edited and acted in the silent film 'Vigathakumaran' (The Lost Child).

In 1926, he established the first film studio in Kerala and made the film, which was exhibited in Capitol Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on November 7, 1928. P K Rosie, a Dalit convert, was his heroine, who portrayed the character of an upper caste Nair girl.

'Vigathakumaran' ran into trouble after some people were aghast that a Dalit girl had been picked to do the role.

Prithviraj, who was also present at the press meet, said he was happy to essay the role of Daniel. The actor said he had read a lot of books on Daniel and done some research to know more about the character he was portraying on screen.

Prithviraj portrays a young Daniel with dreams of making it big in films and his later life as a forgotten old man, unwanted by his children.