We all know him - the emotionally harassed teen whose parents can’t accept anything less-than-stellar from their son. M Mohanan’s My God comes with a tagline ‘every child has a dream’ and it delves deep into the troubled world of Sam, its 15-year-old hero. “The film shows how a child suffers trying to fit into his parents’ dream. Though it deals with a socially-relevant theme, My God will be total family entertainer with the right blend of humour and drama,” says the director.
Mohanan says his film is inspired by a hundred real-life incidents, all arising from the ignorance of over-ambitious parents. “Sam is not a stray example, rather he represents a mass of children who crack under the stress. It’s basically about how parental pressure shatters a child’s dreams and aspirations. From the moment a child is born, he or she is forced to live a life his parents had fore-planned. There are many students who end up at asylums and mental health centres,” he says.
Sam, the hero of the film is a class x student, someone who has entered a phase so full of confusion. The conflict deepens when he can’t perform the way his rich planter dad expects him to. “I have been working on this subjects for three years. I think it’s children from affluent urban families who often go through this torturous experience. Their parents want their children to have a profession that matches their social status,” he says.
Suresh Gopi plays Adiraja Bhattathiripad, the CEO of a US-based IT firm in the film. “Though technology and social networking sites are often portrayed as unhealthy influences on children, they have a positive side as well. In the film it’s Adiraja who motivates Sam from afar through online interactions,” he says. Honey Rose appears as Aarati, a child psychiatrist whose presence and affection help the boy overcome his problems. Sreenivasan steps into another key role as Father Vadakkan while Lena is Alphonsa, another positive influence in Sam’s life. “Rekha and Joy Mathew play Sam’s parents who try to impose their likes and dislikes on their son. Adarsh Nair who appear as the lead character of Sam was selected from more than 3,000 children,” he adds.
Mohanan says it’s often people around you who substitute God at various stages of your life. “The title of the film is very much in tune with its subject. You will completely understand it when you watch the film,” he says.
The film has Jithu Damodar cranking the camera and Bijibal scoring the music to the lines penned by Rafeeq Ahamed and Ramesh Kavil. ‘My God’ produced by Mahi Puthussery and Shyna K V will hit the screens next week.