As curtains go up on the 75th edition of Festival de Cannes, it’s a proud moment for K. Ravindranathan Nair, better known as General Pictures Ravi, a patron of art-house cinema. A restored version of Thampu, directed by the late filmmaker G. Aravindan and produced by Mr. Nair, will premiere at the prestigious Cannes Classic segment of the festival that begins on May 17.
“The film, with its unique aesthetics, had bagged many accolades. I was recently approached by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur from the Film Heritage Foundation for the permission to restore the film. I am delighted to know that it will be showcased at the Cannes,” Mr. Nair told The Hindu.
A mentor of the Malayalam new-wave films, the industrialist had produced a volley of critically-acclaimed and award-winning films under his banner General Pictures in the 70s and 80s. It was a comment by Aravindan, a doyen of Malayalam parallel cinema, that prompted Mr. Nair to bankroll a spate of experimental films.
