Sexy Durga

Last updated

S Durga
Sexy Durga Movie Poster.jpg
Directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan [1]
Produced byAruna Mathew
Shaji Mathew
Starring Rajshri Deshpande
Kannan Nayar
Sujeesh KS
Baiju Netto
Arunsol
Vedh
Bilas Nair
Nistar Ahamed
Sujith Koyikkal
Vishnujith Asuren
Cinematography Prathap Joseph
Edited bySanal Kumar Sasidharan
Music byBasil Joseph
Production
company
Niv Art Movies
Release date
Running time
85 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Sexy Durga (Changed into S Durga for Indian release) is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language indie horror film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan. [2] The film is about the religious divide in the society of Kerala and its effect on marriage between two people from two different religious backgrounds.

Contents

It has won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 2017 International Film Festival Rotterdam, [3] and the 2017 Golden Apricot at Armenia's Yerevan International Film Festival in the category International Feature Competition. [4]

Synopsis

Durga, a North Indian migrant and a Keralite youth named Kabeer are running away at midnight. They are waiting for transportation to the nearest railway station to catch a train to a distant place. Two small time gangsters, transporting arms, offer assistance to the couple. The hapless "Durga" encounters a cross section of the society through the rest of the night. Parallel to the journey of Durga, another mysterious event intercuts in the film. In a Kerala village, devotees perform 'Garudan Thookkam', a ritual art form submitted as a reward for the problems solved in the abode of Goddess Kali, who represents Goddess Durga's personified wrath & embodied fury. [5]

Cast

Reception

Since the first screening as a work in progress film in the NFDC film Bazaar in Goa, the film has received good reviews from the viewers. Critic Gautaman Bhaskaran wrote in Hindustan Times "that was arguably one of the finest movies that this writer saw here". [6] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote:

"Sasidharan likes games. In S Durga, the games are metaphorical, about the way we “toy” with others. In both films, these games start out as “fun” (though not for everyone), and end up revealing the ugliness inside the players, who are but a microcosm of a patriarchal society. These are, essentially, power games, with the strong preying on the weak. The strength comes from privilege (caste, class, gender, religious majoritarianism). The weakness rises from these very factors, but from the other end of the spectrum." [7]

Awards

Film festivals

The film was screened at the following Film festivals:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Film Festival Rotterdam</span> Annual film festival held in the Netherlands

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental filmmaking by showcasing emerging talents and established auteurs. The festival also places a focus on presenting cutting edge media art and arthouse film, with most of the participants in the short film program identified as artists or experimental filmmakers. IFFR also hosts CineMart and BoostNL, for film producers to seek funding. The IFFR logo is a stylized image of a tiger that is loosely based on Leo, the lion in the MGM logo.

<i>How Is Your Fish Today?</i> 2007 Chinese film

How Is Your Fish Today?, also known as Jin Tian De Yu Zen Me Yang?, is a 2007 Chinese film written by Xiaolu Guo and Hui Rao. It was directed by Guo. The film is a drama set in modern China, focusing on the intertwined stories of two main characters; a frustrated writer and the subject of his latest work, Lin Hao. How Is Your Fish Today won 4 international awards and was well received by critics, but was not commercially successful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala State Film Award for Best Director</span>

The Kerala State Film Award for Best Director is an honour presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969. It is given to a film director who has exhibited outstanding direction while working in the Malayalam film industry. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Since 1998, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, an autonomous non-profit organisation functioning under the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been exercising control over the awards. The recipients are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy. They are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and are presented by the Chief Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanjeewa Pushpakumara</span> Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter and producer

Sanjeewa Pushpakumara is a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter and producer.

Fareeda Mehta is an Indian film director who makes short films, documentaries and feature films. Also she collaborates closely with the Press Trust of India and organizations such as UNICEF, NCERT, NORAD and NFDC.

Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi or Kazhcha Film Forum is a film collective in Kerala, India. It started in the year 2001 at Neyyattinkara thaluk in Thiruvananthapuram district as a collective effort of film lovers. It has produced three short films. In the year 2013 the film society has been registered under the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vipin Vijay</span> Indian film director and screenwriter (born 1977)

Vipin Vijay is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He received his post-graduate degree in filmmaking from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute SRFTI, Calcutta. He received the Charles Wallace Arts Award for research at the British Film Institute, London, 2003. Vipin is the recipient of "The Sanskriti Award" (2007) for social & cultural achievement. His works are made under independent codes and defy any categorisation eluding all traditional genre definitions and merge experimental film, documentary, essay, fiction all into one.

<i>Liars Dice</i> (film) 2013 Indian film

Liar's Dice is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language road movie written and directed by Geetu Mohandas and starring Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The film tells the story of a young mother from a remote village who, going in search of her missing husband, goes missing herself. The film examines the human cost of migration to cities and the exploitation of migrant workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajshri Deshpande</span> Indian actress

Rajshri Deshpande is an Indian actress. She gained international recognition for her performance in Pan Nalin's drama film Angry Indian Goddesses. She then portrayed the title character in Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga and received critical acclaim for her performance in the Netflix series Sacred Games. In 2023, Deshpande won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, for her work in Trial by Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanal Kumar Sasidharan</span> Indian poet, lawyer, and filmmaker

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is an Indian poet, lawyer, and filmmaker.

Piano is an independent film production and distribution company based in Mexico City, started in 2011 by Julio Chavezmontes and Sebastián Hofmann as a platform for innovative filmmakers. It specializes in film production, finance, distribution, and international coproductions.

Balekempa is a 2018 Kannada drama film written and directed by Ere Gowda. Produced by Zoo Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the film is about the relationship between a travelling bangle seller and his wife. The film was included in the list of the ten most notable films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Niv Art Movies is a film production company in New Delhi state, India established in the year 2008. Shaji Mathew, a Delhi based Malayali is the proprietor of the firm. It has produced 6 Malayalam films 5 out of the 6 films produced by the company are directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazhcha-Niv Independent Film Festival</span> Film festival in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

The Kazhcha-Niv Independent Film Festival (KNIFF) is a film festival for independent cinema in India held annually in Thiruvananthapuram. The festival debuted in 2017, and is hosted by Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, a local film society, in collaboration with Niv Art Centre, an Art and Cultural society in New Delhi. The festival is held in December parallel to the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

<i>Take Me Somewhere Nice</i> 2019 film

Take Me Somewhere Nice is a 2019 Dutch-Bosnian drama film written and directed by Ena Sendijarević. In July 2019, it was shortlisted as one of the nine films in contention to be the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

<i>Chola</i> (film) 2019 Indian Malayalam-language psychological drama film

Chola is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language psychological drama film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan and produced by Joju George, and co-produced by Shaji Mathew and Aruna Mathew. The film stars Joju George, Nimisha Sajayan and Akhil Viswanath.

<i>Oru Rathri Oru Pakal</i> Indian Film

Oru Rathri Oru Pakal is a 2019 Indian Malayalam film written and directed by Prathap Joseph, His fourth film as a cinematographer-director, is set and filmed in Shoranur and stars Yamuna Chungappalli and Mari in the lead roles. It references of honour killing.

<i>Nine Hills One Valley</i> 2021 Indian film

Nine Hills One Valley is a 2021 Indian Manipuri-Tangkhul bilingual film conceptualized and directed by Haobam Paban Kumar. It is produced by Warepam Jhansirani and Haobam Paban Kumar for Oli Pictures. The movie was among 19 feature films selected for Film Bazaar Recommends (FBR) section of the Film Bazaar 2020. It was premiered at the 16th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2021, Indonesia.

Vazhakku (transl. Quarrel) is a 2022 Malayalam film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan and starring Tovino Thomas, Kani Kusruti, Sudev Nair, and Azees Nedumangad. The film is about a lawyer named Siddharthan who is going through a divorce. He meets a woman named Sathi and her daughter, who are also going through a divorce. The two families form a bond and help each other through their difficult times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam</span> 2024 edition of IFFR

The 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam, is the 2024 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which began on 25 January 2024. The festival opened with Head South a New Zealand film by Jonathan Ogilvie. The complete line-up of films competing in the festival was revealed on 18 December 2023. The festival closed on 4 February 2024 with La Luna by M. Raihan Halim.

References

  1. "Sexy Durga, a new film by Kerala director". Hindusthan Times . Chennai, India. 23 February 2016.
  2. "At NFDC Film Bazaar, Sexy Durga is a powerful take on fear". Hindustan Times. Panaji, India. 25 November 2016.
  3. "Hivos Tiger Competition". iffr.com.
  4. The winners of 14TH GOLDEN APRICOT Yerevan IFF are announced
  5. "Sexy Durga | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  6. "At NFDC Film Bazaar, Sexy Durga is a powerful take on fear". 25 November 2016.
  7. "S Durga Movie Review". Film Companion. 12 April 2018.
  8. "Facebook Launches Film Bazaar Awards". Variety. 25 November 2016.
  9. "Sexy Durga wins at International Film Festival of Rotterdam". The Times of India. 26 February 2017.
  10. "WINNERS OF THE XI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL". tarkovskyfest.ru. 18 June 2017.
  11. 1 2 "THE WINNERS OF THE 53RD PESARO FILM FESTIVAL". pesarofilmfest.it.
  12. "Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga Continues To Win Big Awards". filmibeat.com.
  13. "Guanajuato 2017 Dispatch: Film Awards Go To SEXY DURGA, LOS AÑOS AZULES, And More". screenanarchy.com.
  14. "Sanal Sasidharan's Sexy Durga takes home the Reflet d'Or from Geneva". cineuropa.com.
  15. "Sexy Durga wins Sanal Kumar Sasidharan the Rotterdam Film Festival Hivos Tiger Prize". The New Indian Express.
  16. "Sexy Durga". newdirectors.org.
  17. "FESTIVALS' FAVOURITES". kinopavasaris.lt.
  18. "SEXY DURGA". indianfilmfestival.org.
  19. "Sexy Durga". tix.sff.org.
  20. "Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga: Yet Another International Acclaim For The Movie!". filmibeat.com. 20 June 2017.
  21. "Sexy Durga". edfilmfest.org.
  22. "'The Black Prince' and 'Sexy Durga' to lead LIFF 2017". bizasialive.com.
  23. "Sexy Durga in the International Film Festival of Valencia". The Times of India.
  24. "Film by Indian director wins 'Golden Apricot' in Yerevan". kavkaz-uzel.eu.