THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aday without water - isn’t that enough to throw any household into chaos? Sainik School Kazhakootam has come out with ‘Neerthulliye Kaanaathaaya Divasam’ (The day when the Neerthulli went missing), a short film that offers a glimpse into problems caused by water shortage and the need to conserve it.
The 20-minute Malayalam short film has been scripted, directed and acted in by the students and faculty. It premiered at the recently-held Kazhak Expo at the school.
“The story revolves around the disappearance of Neerthulli, a girl student, from the school, and the search for her. Everyone knows how much trouble a household goes through when water supply goes ‘missing’ even for a single day. Thus the name ‘Neerthulli’. All aspects of the film, including the editing and camera were handled by the students,” said Sandhya R, the school’s Malayalam teacher and in-charge of the videography club who scripted and directed ‘Neerthulliye Kaanaathaaya Divasam’.
The film was entirely shot in the Sainik School campus and acted in by the boys and girls of the school. (Sainik Schools admit only boy cadets, but the daughters of the staff are given an exemption). The school in the film is not depicted as the Sainik School, though, Sandhya said. Once Neerthulli goes missing, the police begins an investigation, and the story rewinds into an eventful flashback. The police questions Neerthulli’s friends, father and school authorities, in the process unfurling the character of the missing girl before the audience.
G Amritha plays the role of Neerthulli, the missing protagonist who poignantly symbolises water and the misuse it is subjected to on a daily basis.
The supporting roles are played by Shilpa Rajeev, Nandana Krishna, Sebastian Jose, Abhijith Gangadhar and Rohith Salith - all students of the school - and teachers Alex Abraham, Dr George P I, K S Antony, Gireesh K R and Sandhya R. Dhanwin Vinod, Jyothish Kumar and Nandagopan handled the editing and Nandagopan, Dhanwin and Deepak D Dev, the cinematography.
‘Neerthulliye Kaanaathaaya Divasam’ was inspired by a story which appeared in Kaumudi weekly. Sandhya does not have any formal training in scripting and directing, but her passion for cinema and instinct led her to craft the short film.
‘Muthuchippikal,’ a short film she directed on behalf of the school’s videography club won the Bharathan Memorial Award last year. The club also had ample support from the school principal Colonel Rajiv, she said.