First Sanskrit movie in 22 years ready for release

The first Indian Sanskrit movie is being released after 22 years. ‘Priya Manasam’ is only the third Sanskrit movie ever made in the world.

Sanskrit, rarely spoken in India today, is the ancestor of many languages, including Hindi and Bengali.

Baby Mathew Somatheeram, an Indian Ayurvedic enthusiast, took the initiative to produce ‘Priya Manasam’ because he says the traditional language is used in many Ayurvedic scriptures.

The movie is about an ancient Sanskrit scholar and poet who penned a romantic artwork in the ‘Kathakali’ dance form with an intention to present before a global audience.

The date of the movie release is not yet fixed.

Rajesh Hebbar, a familiar name for the Malayalam television serial and film industry is playing the lead role. A number of ‘Kathakali’ artists also appear in the movie, produced with a budget of Rs1crore. The movie is directed by Vinod Mankara.

Baby told Emirates 24|7: “We have finished shooting and the censoring is also over. We are planning to release the movie to an international audience with subtitles in German, Spanish, English and a few other international languages used by the tourists visiting Kerala for Ayurveda treatment.”

Rajesh Hebbar, underwent rigorous training in ‘Kathakali’ for the film.

There are two heroines in the movie, one being played by famous ‘Kuchippudi’ dancer and Kannada film star, Pratheesha Kaashi. The second is Meera Sree Narayanan, another dancer.

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