KOCHI:“They are distinctively abled and absolutely normal”, says recently released short film The Wall, which tells the story of a differently abled child and how he reacts to things around him. Directed and produced by Pranav Krishna - an assistant director in Mollywood, the film is a tribute to renowned scientist and former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
“Dr Kalam is a commonly loved and accepted figure. Hence we decided to inculcate his presence in our film. The Wall was also screened in various schools across the state on his death anniversary recently,” said Pranav, who also scripted the film. He noted when this concept cropped in his mind, he shared it with his friends, who encouraged him to do a short film based on this. The short film was screened in schools in Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. “Due to rain and other constraints, a few screenings are yet to be completed, but the school authorities have assured to screen it soon. From the film industry and general public, the film has been receiving rave reviews,” he added.
As it is a tribute to Dr Kalam, who is a well-known figure, The Wall has a bit of Hindi dialogues with subtitles. Pranav mentioned the central character of the film is played by child artist Vishal Krishna, who has brilliantly portrayed the role of an autistic and physically challenged boy. Living in a huge house with his busy father, the boy enjoys company in his own world making crafts and drawings.
Pranav said the short film tells the story from the point of view of Vishal. The story is set in the backdrop of an election, the anger and frustration shown by Vishal’s father towards people for sticking notices on their wall and how the child reacts to it by coming out of his comfort zone. “At the end, a message on environmental cleanliness is also given along with many other minute details like a flickering bulb, shadow effects to emphasise the child’s thinking,” he said.
Pranav mentioned that differently-abled have good concentration power and intellect and he wishes to bring this message through the film. A few motivational words of Dr Kalam are also part of the story, he added.
The short film has won two awards in the Diphan Film Festival Kochi for Best Art Direction and Best 2nd Short Film. The film has been submitted to various other festivals though any other details are yet to be known. After making his debut, Pranav dreams to direct a movie of his own and is currently busy scripting for it.