The restoration of John Abraham's 'Amma Ariyan' is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of preserving cinematic heritage. This 1986 Malayalam film, directed by the late John Abraham, was a labor of love and a collective effort, funded and produced by the Odessa Collective, a grassroots filmmaking group. The journey to restore it was not without its challenges, but the result is a masterpiece that deserves a wider audience.
The Film Heritage Foundation's 4K restoration of 'Amma Ariyan' (Report to Mother) is a triumph. It receives its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes Classics strand, marking the fifth consecutive year the Mumbai-based non-profit has brought a restored Indian film to the French Riviera. This year, it's the only Indian feature with a world premiere at the festival.
The restoration process was a complex one. The original materials were scarce, with only two 35mm prints held at the National Film Archive of India. The team had to work with these prints, which showed significant physical deterioration, and piece together the film's history. The effort was worth it, as the restoration team, led by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, brought the film back to life with meticulous attention to detail.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the restoration is the film's unique approach to sound. Abraham, the director, had a deliberate and unusual choice regarding foley, or the absence of it. Instead of layering in the sound of footsteps or ambient movement, he chose silence, allowing the visual image to generate its own interior noise in the viewer's mind. This decision, initially seen as a technical deficit, turned out to be an aesthetic choice, emphasizing the visual over the auditory.
The restoration philosophy followed a preservation approach rather than correction. Abraham's film was shot in black and white under low-light conditions, capturing the camera's movement, the grain of available light, and the roughness of the locations. This style, influenced by the cinema verité tradition and the Cuban school of filmmaking, as well as the lessons of Ritwik Ghatak, was not seen as a flaw but as a signature to be honored.
'Amma Ariyan' is a film that defies easy categorization. It blends documentary and fiction through a non-linear structure, unfolding as a road film and a political elegy. Set against the backdrop of 1970s Kerala, it was shaped by its method of production, with the Odessa Collective raising the budget by touring villages with street plays and drum performances. It was conceived for a traveling cinema, returning the work to the communities that made it possible.
Abraham, who died in 1987 at 49, left behind only four films. Despite his limited body of work, 'Amma Ariyan' was placed on the British Film Institute's 2001 ranking of the ten best Indian films ever made. Writer K.M. Seethi described Abraham as a rare breed, for whom cinema was not just an art but a public act of resistance, thought, and love.
Dungarpur, who first encountered Abraham's work at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), describes 'Amma Ariyan' as a contemporary film that speaks to modern audiences. Its screening requests from South America and beyond are a testament to its enduring appeal. The restoration of 'Amma Ariyan' is not just a technical achievement but a celebration of a unique cinematic vision that deserves to be shared with the world.
