Asha Sharath to play poet Sugathakumari next

It seems to be the age of biopics; close on the heels of director Kamal doing a biopic on veteran writer Madhavikutty, debutant filmmaker Suresh Manimala has announced one on activist and poet Sugathakumari. Asha Sharath will be essaying the role of the much-respected writer in the feature film that has been titled after one of her poems, Pavizhamalli.
On the film, the director says, “We all know about Sugathakumari, the writer and the environmental activist.Not many know that she has rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of women and children from suicide and trafficking. A rescue home she runs in Trivandrum has seen the girls grow up into doctors and teachers even. The story is told through the point of view of two young girls, whose lives have been turned around by her.”
However, the film will be part fictional with the main character being a teacher named Parvathy, who represents Sugathakumari, says the director. “Since she is a living legend, we have camouflaged many of the characters into fictional ones. She has turned around hundreds of lives; we are taking just two. The film also explores the issue of parenting, told through the thread of a rescued girl, whose mother has psychological issues.”
The film is a proper feature film with a gripping storyline, says Suresh, who is basically an engineer. “I was a student of her sister, Sujatha. But I was always interested in Sugathakumari’s poetry. Her involvement in social issues and her poetry forms the background and hence the title, Pavizhamalli,” he says, adding that four of her poems find a place in the story. The film is being crowd funded and the proceeds will go to charity.