Summary:
Mumbai, Oct 18 (PTI) With his Marathi film "Aata Vel Zaali", filmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan says he wanted to look at death as the celebration of a life well lived and not as a sombre reminder of the end.The film, titled "It"s Time to Go" in English, is headlined by Marathi acting legends Dilip Prabhavalkar and Rohini Hattangadi and revolves around an ageing couple who seek active euthanasia.
It is produced by Dinesh Bansal, GK Agarwal and Mahadevan.With Mumbai-set "Aata Vel Zaali", Mahadevan said he wanted to spotlight the existential crisis faced by the elderly.The couple, played by Prabhvalkar and Hattangadi, feel they are leading "unproductive and obsolete lives" and hence seek active euthanasia as an unusual remedy."Through the eyes of an ageing couple, I have made a black humour film, even though it sounds very serious and poignant.
The whole film is a satire.
That"s how I have treated the film so that people are not frightened by the mention of the word death," Mahadevan told PTI in an interview.Citing the example of Hrishikesh Mukherjee"s "Anand", which featured Rajesh Khanna as a cancer patient who laughs death away, the director said the 1971 classic was the "perfect formula" for a film script."When you are talking about death, the mood should be the opposite of it.
It should not be as depressing as death.
You have to make it palatable to the viewers."If you have the strength to laugh at death, you will have the strength to face it too.