PRAPAATHA "Air-borne...our very own" BACKGROUND The flying of the aircraft is among the world’s foremost scientific achievements, in today’s times. It’s only axiomatic that sections of science, which do not believe the theories based on trust, insist on factual evidence. There are, but many stars, notwithstanding all of this. “Vimana Shastra” – authored by Shri Bhaaradwaaja Muni, one of the transcendent sages in the exceedingly ancient land of India – is, but a mine of marvels. It is a repertory of many a fundamental technological delineations, apart from having achieved the design of the aircraft. The erudite scholar that Shri Anekal Subbaraya Shastri (1866 A.D – 1940 A.D) was, not only scripted the very epic of technology and it’s annotation; but also successfully flew an aircraft titled “Marutshakti”. It’s only despairing that such an iconic achievement didn’t find it’s way to the pages of history. This feature film is an allegory, of the unravelling of many a surprising fact, which emerged out of the research of a curious commoner, who chose to probe Shastri-ji’s achievements. The fortitude of a visual reference, of the personal experiences and perspectives, stemmed out of direct and indirect discussions, is Prapaatha. |
| SYNOPSIS: The enthusiastic duo of unemployed Abhaya, paired up with Narahari, a college student, are keen to unearth all the possible information from various corners, on the little known achiever of this land – Shri Anekal Subbaraya Shastri, who is believed to have given the annotation for Vymanika Shastra. Inspired by an article in a news-daily, while the duo simultaneously relish the aesthetic joys and the interruptions that come their way, wherever and however their quest leads them; the priorities of living within the middle-class boundaries precedes, when at the end, one lands a job that he was trying for, amidst their research which gets them acquainted to people with varied interests in Shastri-ji. The cinema with characters based on real people viz., - a writer on the subject; a savant who can’t express due to illness; a dejected ex-columnist; an astrophysicist; an intellectual who has gathered significant information on the subject but is shy to exchange the same – among the many, progresses with a parallel depiction of bitter realities, spectacles of life and the unravelling of contradictions. The visual clippings that peep-in, between all the symbolism and metaphors, tickle the funny bones of the viewers, while simultaneously inciting them to reflect. This film is a distinct depiction of chaos created through many a twist, with abstruse situations and the void that is created when complications add to the pressures of life. |
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