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Screening of Aakasha Gopuram

Join us for a unique cinematic experience as the film Aakasha Gopuram, based on Henrik Ibsen’s classic The Master Builder, is screened at the IBSEN Museum and Theater. Director K.P. Kumaran will take part in a panel discussion before the screening.

Join us for a unique cinematic experience as the film Aakasha Gopuram, based on Henrik Ibsen’s classic The Master Builder, is screened at the IBSEN Museum and Theater. Director K.P. Kumaran will take part in a panel discussion before the screening.

Ibsenmuseet
24. May 2025
15.00 – 18.00
Get free tickets

Experience how one of Norway’s greatest playwrights is reimagined through the lens of Indian artistry.

In collaboration with the Embassy of India in Oslo, Ibsen Museum & Theater invites you to a screening of Aakasha Gopuram, an Indian film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder.

Program:

  • An insightful panel discussion with the film’s director, K. P. Kumaran, will take place before the screening.

  • Screening of Aakasha Gopuram (Castle in the Air).

The event will be held in English. The event is free of charge, but tickets are required.

Profile of director K. P. Kumaran

K. P. Kumaran has been at the forefront of the parallel cinema movement for over 50 years 
and his films reflect his deep commitment to female empowerment. All films from the 
landmark ‘Athithi’ (1974) to the National award winning ‘Rugmini’ (1988) and ‘Thotram’, 
recipient of Suvarna Chakoram Award for Writing at the International Film Festival of Kerala 
2001 have female protagonists at the core of the film. In 2008, Kumaran adapted Henrik 
Ibsen’s, ‘The Master Builder’ as ‘Aakashagopuram’ (Castle in the Air) which was selected for 
Indian Paranoma (2008).

Synopsis of the film

Aakasha Gopuram is an adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen classic Master Builder.

Set in London among the Indian immigrant community, it tells the story of Albert Samson (MohanLal), a middle-aged architect who has who has clawed his way to prominence. His single-minded focus on his job, however, has hardened him and prevented him and his wife Alice (Swetha Menon) from having a meaningful private life.

Into this tension comes Hilda Varghese (Nithya), a vivacious young woman to whom Samson had promised "a kingdom" when she was twelve years old.

As Samson struggles with the destructive consequences of his monomaniacal pursuit and his growing fear that he has lost his creative powers, the mysterious Hilda helps him gain a glimpse of his former robust self.

Known for his deep commitment to female empowerment through his films, K P Kumaran in Aakashagopuram paints an intriguing portrait of one man's consuming desire for success.

Voted the best Malayalam film of 2008, Aakashagopuram was both a critical and commercial success. Selected for festivals like IFFI Goa, and International Film Festival of Kerala, it brought together the best of international crew from Nigel Holland (sound designer – Batman Returns) to John Harvey (visual effects – Kingdom of Heaven) and featured music of John Altman (Titanic).

  • Genre: Drama
  • Release: 2008
  • Cast: Mohan Lal, Srinivasan, Bharat Gopi, Manoj K Jayan, Nithya, Geethu Mohandas, Shwetha Menon
  • Writer and Director: K P Kumaran
  • Producers: Tutu Sharma, Taizoon Khorakiwala, Manu Kumaran
  • Music: John Altman
  • Director of Photography: Santosh Thundiyil
  • Editor: Ajith Kumar
Museum24:Portal - 2025.05.07
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