A group of students teaming up for helming a short film. It seemed to be a routine affair initially, but proved to be an extraordinary ride later. On the concluding days of their course at the Neo Film School, Kaloor, the students needed to make a short film as part of their project. They had a camera, a crew, a passion to create something new, and the guidance of veteran director Siddique. What they needed was a theme- a skeleton to which they can add their creative flesh and blood.
And they found one. Romance- a theme which can be called a cliché. A theme that umpteen times made characters dance around the trees to the tunes of popular songs, smile, weep or commit suicide with broken hearts on the beaten frames.
Soon, the students, under the directorial eminence of Siddique, teamed up and began to frame the story, and Sir...Laddu was born.
The film was a typical boy-chases-girl story about Vishnu, who resigned his 30k-job and joined another company for peanuts, because he was in love with Veena, the receptionist at that company. But what added to it a whiff of uniqueness was an unusual comic touch; and it was that quality that made the short film an instant sensation on YouTube and social media. ‘Comments’ and ‘Likes’ poured into the kitty of this novel venture.
The success of the short film followed the students even after they completed the course and they made a second ‘laddu’ which, as they claim, is the ‘first ever sequel to a Malayalam short film’. The story continued to revolve around Vishnu, and how fate played spoil sport in his life with a comic twist of fate.
Antony Sony, the director of the sequel, says that it enjoys the same reception on YouTube and social media. “Everyday, we get encouraging calls from viewers. The sequel has already recorded thousands of hits on YouTude and social media. The facebook page of the sequel has also several followers. And it is growing,” says Antony. The BG score and music for the short films were done by Lijin Bambino and Sandeep, who have given music for several albums and short films. They say that working for these two short films has been an enriching experience.
“We enjoyed every bit of the making of ‘Sir..Laddu’. It helped us take the next confident step in our career," says Lijin.
The two short films still entertain several new viewers each day. Will they make another sequel, banking on this popularity? “The response and encouragement of the viewers give us inspiration to continue with Sir...Laddu. Of course, we are thinking about a third sequel. We will do it, but not until we find a story that matches the charm of the earlier ones,’’ says Antony.