KOCHI: For a movie that deals with the Muslim circumsition ritual ‘sunnath kalyanam’, and the effect it has on the friendship between a group of young boys, the short film ‘Divider’ manages to retain a hearty charm. The protagonist, a young Muslim boy, becomes the butt of all jokes among his friends after he undergoes the procedure. Many anecdotes that reflect on religious bias and consevative thinking have been delivered through the characters, and the movie puts across a subtle message on communal harmony.
The movie was directed by Anand Radhakrishnan as a diploma project for his filmmaking course at the Revathi Kala Mandir Film Academy, in 2016. The movie soon overshot its intended budget and shooting schedule. It was then that he approached Dravida Entertainments, an independent film production house.
The movie has since then been screened at film festival circuits and was recently released on the YouTube channel of Dravida Entertainments.
Talking about how he decided on the topic for his movie, Anand says that the theme was one which developed organically. “I have immensely enjoyed neo-realistic movies such as ‘Pather Panchali’ and ‘Children of Heaven’. Since I am someone who is nostalgic about childhood, my first work tells the story of children,” says Anand, an actor who was last seen in Biju Menon-starrer Padayottam in 2018.
“Having studied in a religious school, I enjoyed the privileges of belonging to the same religion and at the same time noticed how my friends belonging to other beliefs were ostracised on the basis of cultural activities. Hence, with the movie I have tried to depict the nuances of being a minority student in a classroom,” adds Anand.
The 30-minute film effectively captures many humorous instances, moments of despair and happiness from the life of its protagonist. The decision to keep the movie light, with a happy ending was a conscious one. “Initially I wanted to give a more serious tone to the movie, but I reconsidered the audience I had in mind and decided to make a movie that could be enjoyed by children. Since it talks about problems faced by a young boy, I wanted the film to end on a happy note thereby conveying the message that all hurdles in life have a solution,” Anand adds.The cast of children in the movie were auditioned and selected from Chilla Child Welfare Organisation in Thiruvananthapuram. The camera was operated by Jayakrishnan S and music was by P S Jayhari.