Appreciated widely for its novel theme centering on adolescents, 'Pattalam' is directed by Rohan Krrsna. The film was produced by one of our leading directors, Lingusamy. ''The market has faced a lot of losses because of a few films in recent times and this did affect the business of my film too,'' says the actor, who says he was insistent on making a film like this, despite knowing its pitfalls in selling.
''We aways show youngsters as either obsessed with the other sex or reckless and rude. I wanted to show them as a fun-loving group of people, focusing on their everyday issues,'' says the director, whose film hit screens last Friday. Ask him if the love angle for the film was a commercial compromise, and he vehemently refuses it. ''You've hardly come across a boy of that age in a film who calls a girl his sister. My film does it. But the love angle of the girl and the hero wasn't a compromise. It completed the story,'' assures the director.
With kids and for kids
For director Pandiraj, the dream to do a film with kids and for kids, took four years and 13 producers to become real. ''After a point, I realised I should stop approaching just any producer because they never saw the beauty of a script which showed kids as just that — kids. I only wanted a director turned producer because he would understand my script best,'' the 30-year-old recalls his journey.
His film, Pasanga, featuring seven kids in the lead, is being produced by director Sasi Kumar.
''When I narrated the script to him, he said nothing immediately. He only hugged me and then confirmed that he would do the project,'' Pandiraj adds. He says he was inspired by the Iranian film Children of Heaven to do a movie about kids. Plans are on to release 'Pasanga' in May. Pandiraj has written the story, screenplay and dialogues, besides directing the film.
takes courage to be like a kid, goes an adage. But producers and directors in the film industry would concede that it takes equal guts to make a film based on children and for children, in a market largely driven by stars today.
Blame it on the greater exposure to international films or the lesser tolerance that they've shown to commercial films of their favourite stars, the audience has infused new blood into the industry. And today, more films are being made with kids or young adolescents, sans the romance and unbelievable stunts that commercial films are replete with.
Take director Pandiraj's 'Pasanga' for example, which is about how the dreams of six children can cause a change in the village they live in. Or director Rohan Krssna's 'Pattalam', which shows different issues of adolescents than focusing simply on their obsession for the other sex.
But the going, as one may well understand, is anything but easy. And these filmmakers with a different streak attribute it to responsible producers. Yet, producers face difficulties in giving their film a decent release and some films have even been delayed only on account of disinterest of theatres to release them.
Yet, films from Azhagappan C's Vannathupoochi, to Nanda Periyasamy's Mathi Yosi and Vinayan's Nalai Namadhey, focusing on children and issues concerning them are now being made, with newer hope of finding an audience.
sharadha@epmltd.com