In the classic musical 'The Sound of Music', the nuns famously sang about Maria without a hint of sarcasm, pondering how to solve a problem like her. Similarly, 'Sing Geetham', directed by the 94-year-old Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, presents a conundrum: how to define a film so ingenuous, so brimming with love and hope, that it defies every present-day filmmaking convention? This film redefines cinema as a field of fabled fertility, irrigated by tender care and nurturing.
A Village That Sings
Set in the fictional gold-mining village of Kuberapuram, the film keeps its characters singing for nearly the entire two-hour runtime. The last time something similar happened on screen was in 1990 with Amol Palekar's 'Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen', where conversations were rendered as poetry and songs. Thirty-six years later, Rao creates a similar spell. When villagers, driven by greed, cut down the last tree to dig for more gold, Lord Kubera curses them to express every emotion through song. This curse becomes a blessing for music composer Devi Sri Prasad, who joyfully tunes everyday conversations into musical beads.
Musical Format and Narrative
The musical format, akin to 'Evita', 'Les Miserables', and recent adaptations of 'Hamlet', sometimes stretches its cuteness a bit far. Yet, it never burdens the narrative. A feeling of fertile ebullience and a mood opposite to cynicism runs through the story, making the overall experience an irresistible joie de vivre. The cast is vast and game. Newcomers Ayaan Khan and Ahilya Bamroo, playing the romantic leads, bring fresh enthusiasm and energy, used with gusto to prop up the ecological message: plundering the land brings us closer to doom. Their inexperience works to the narrative's advantage, as their uncorrupted nature complements the mood.
Villain and Message
Interestingly, the villain is a woman (Shalini Kondepudi). Eventually, she too sings the same tune as the villagers: for civilisation to survive, the rules of existence must change. This includes our movies, where guns, gore, and grime are glorified to sickening abundance. 'Sing Geetham' tells us how important it is to keep the child within us alive. More than its cinematic qualities—all geared towards contouring a sense of joyous surrender to Nature—this film needs to be celebrated for its innocent energy, like a toddler running non-stop after learning to walk.
Passion Project
For producer Nag Ashwin, this is a passion project. For the audience, despite its excesses of juvenescence, 'Sing Geetham' is a liberating experience, bringing to the screen that rare, almost extinct feeling of experiencing the primeval pleasure of unalloyed nascent joy.
