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Star-crossed is a novel about the world of Tamil cinema minus the
glamour. It takes a keen look at the lives of filmmakers, technicians,
producers and actors. Turning the spotlight on the fringes of the
entertainment world, Ashokamitran exposes the daily trials and
tribulations of a cast of character none too familiar to those who
equate the world of celluloid with the proverbial dream factory.
The
story revolves around the several minor cogs in the wheels that make
film production in the studios of Madras go round. An elaborate, albeit
chaotic, machinery consisting of people, services and equipment, goes
into action everyday, based on a flimsy foundation of ad hoc financing
and superstitions peculiar to the industry. The whole situation is a
tragicomedy of people with dreams in their eyes and hearts, and their
manipulation by the forces of commerce and greed.
The novel
starts with Natarajan, a production manager in a Kodambakkam studio,
organising a team of people for a stint of outdoor shooting in the
early hours of a typical Madras morning. Reddiar and Rama Iyengar, film
producers both, Sampat, an errand boy; Rajgopal, a wannabe manager of
sorts; Chitti, an editor's assistant; Manickaraj, a supplier of stock
shots to film-makers and Somanathan, an aspiring screenplay writer are
among several bit players whose ordinary lives provide a stark contrast
from the magic they help create on scren.
The story abounds in
action and we see people running about doing their jobs, but, as the
novel proceeds, we realise all the sound and fury signify nothing in
the lives of so many that depend on the film industry for their
livelihood. We move from one climax to the next, one anticlimax to
another. To quote one of the characters in the novel, "There are no
permanent or temporary jobs in cinema. Every job is permanent. And
temporary!" The hype, the uncertainties and the personality cult that
surround Indian cinema are brought to life in this realistic tale laced
with humour and compassion.
The original Tamil title, Karainda
Nizhalgal, conveys the tragedy and uncertainty inherent in the lives of
these providers of mass entertainment, whose fortunes rise and fall or
sink altogether with the making of a film. Simply told, the novel
provides poignant expression to Ashokamitran's empathy for his flesh
and blood characters, based no doubt on his own experience in the film
world of Madras.
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This book StarCrossed is written by Ashokamitran and published by .
இந்த நூல் Star-Crossed, அசோகமித்திரன் அவர்களால் எழுதி Indian Writing பதிப்பகத்தால் வெளியிடப்பட்டது.
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