THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Much has been said and done about the Mullaperiyar issue by now. Here, from the city, a set of youngsters from four colleges have joined hands to work together for raising some positive thoughts in the minds of Malayalees and Tamilians alike with the issue sparking tensions and controversies on both sides.
More than 15 students from LBS Institute of Technology for Women, PRS College of Engineering and Technology, Mohandas College of Engineering and Technology and Mar Ivanios College here have made ‘States of mind’, a seven-minute short film.
The theme is centred around the relevance of brotherhood between Kerala and Tamil Nadu against the backdrop of rising tensions over the issue on both sides.
The film has been shot inside Cherries and Berries, a coffee shop in the city. The team has used a hand-held camera for shooting. Malavika Madhu of LBS College and Ramanadhan Sawparnika of Mohandas college have coughed up the money to produce the work. According to Greeshma Munnu of LBS College, director of the film, “We have ventured into making the film on a trial basis. As the Mullaperiyar issue was brewing, we arrived at a decision to zero in on this topic.”
Beginning with a note, ‘someday in the near future’, the camera pans into the interior of a coffee shop. A television channel airs the visuals narrating the tensions in Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar row.
Seeing this, a Malayali boy looks at another boy speaking Tamil with contempt and makes snide comments at him. Somebody switches over to another channel airing a T-20 match between India and Sri Lanka. Towards the end we see them share the joy over the nation’s victory.
There is an element of surprise that lies in between. The film concludes with a message on the need to change our mindsets that create unnecessary gulfs between people and to stand united for our nation.
Sandeep Suresh, of PRS college who is the camera man and one of the directors says, “it was the idea of our friends in LBS college that made us venture to make the film. We completed the work in six days in January this year.”
The script is conceived by Shakthi Gandhimathi of LBS college. The main cast includes Nitheesh of Mohandas college and Ajmal of Mar Ivanios college. The effects are done by Raj Marthandam. Abhilash, Sohil, Prasanth, Vishnu Kesav, Madhu, Aswin Vishnu, Aswin, Vishnu Mohan and Dileep Prem have also acted.
The film has already bagged the first prize at both intra-collegiate and inter-collegiate festivals of LBS college. It was selected as the best short film at ‘Dhwani’, the inter-collegiate festival conducted by the College of Engineering recently.