KOCHI: It is that time of the year. After months of pouring over every formula which could help one crack application questions to gulping down mugs of coffee to stay awake, yet another term of board examinations has been written. With less than a month to go for the final results which could ‘supposedly’ gauge their future, students across the country hold their breath when the news headlines pronounce dates. Every year, along with the arrival of results, student suicides are far from uncommon.
Students are burdened with pressure, worried if they’re unable to reach up to expectations. Bcom student Keerthan M Dinesh’s debut Malayalam short film ‘Sir Oru Additional Sheet’ is set in the above scenario and timely it is.The Thiruvananthapuram district-level cricketer was struck by the thought when he was advised to rest due to injury. He had read about the suicides of two female students prior to their Class X results, for which they had indeed received an A+ grade.
“The reason is the immense pressure created by the society. I wanted to visualise the theme on another platform, so I began writing the script,” says Keerthan. He added additional elements to strongly convey the message. “I added funny bits to make it entertaining and prepared a linear way of storytelling with lots of characters. The script was written by my college faculty Alex sir, who joined me along with the media department.
This was my dream of contributing something as a Mar Ivanios student,” he says. Released on Saturday, the 24-minute short film is earning views by the minute. The reason? The portrayal of a grave incident in a funny, yet subtle and sensitive manner.
The title of the movie makes the viewer think otherwise – capsules of moments taken from an examination hall which can drive laughter easily and which is replicated in several other videos. However, snippets of ‘student suicide’ headlines swarm over the credits suggesting else. The opening shot shows an anxious girl hurriedly skimming through the pages of a newspaper, eyes stopping when she spots the date of the published results. The movie then spans onto her classmates in various circumstances reminiscing their exam hall moments whilst awaiting results.
The protagonist’s face is shown at regular intervals, wherein her state of mind moves from anxiety to absolute worry and helplessness, triggered by dialogues from her mother and father who can’t wait to reveal her ‘glorious’ marks to colleagues. Incidents such as the next door neighbour sending her son to find out the roll number of another boy can’t help but incite mild laughter, thereby shedding the light of the reality that outsiders will always be interested in the ‘figures’ of your life. As the minutes' tick by, the protagonist who can no longer control herself whips up a blade to cut herself.
What follows shows is the grim reality and how certain unforeseen events can change one’s perspective. Keerthan, a realist, does not believe that an immediate change will be brought about. “I believe if any pressurized student or parent watches my movie and has a change of mind, that will be my success,” he says.
With actors who have done justice to their roles, and cinematography and background score which have accelerated the highs and lows, ‘Sir Oru Additional Sheet’ is a strong reminder that your fellow classmate’s additional sheets must not hamper your mindset, that you must rise beyond your parents’ or teachers’ remarks, that there is more to life than your board examination results.