It’s a dream come true for Vishnu S Kumar, Mohammad Noufir N and Hari Krishnan A. The three youths from Thiruvananthapuram are on cloud nine after Oruvan, a Tamil flick they made got official selection as an in-consideration film in the international feature film category of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Scripted, directed and produced by the Malayali trio, Oruvan is the lone Tamil movie from India to be considered at the TIFF.
“We wanted to showcase our work on the biggest platform, which would be watched by lakhs of people who truly love and appreciate movies from all over the world. Right from the first day, our aim was to make a quality film that would meet the eligibility criteria at a festival like TIFF. Being considered for a prestigious festival that is respected globally is truly special,” said Vishnu, an engineering graduate who wrote the screenplay for Oruvan.
“This is my debut movie. We got the invite from TIFF to attend the biggest movie gala in Toronto,” he said. Oruvan was entirely filmed when the Covid restrictions were most stringent.“I had tried making a Malayalam movie six years ago. However, we could not pull it off due to certain rules and regulations. Hence, we decided to make a Tamil movie,” he said. Vishnu said they chose to shoot the movie in Chennai, the hub of the Indian film industry.
“The situation there is different and infuses more hope. Despite the pandemic, we got permission to shoot. We got overwhelming cooperation from the authorities there,” said Vishnu. Besides TIFF, Oruvan has also been shortlisted for 45 international film festivals. Mohammad, the director, said making the film during Covid times was challenging.
“The story is set in a rural village in Tamil Nadu. We shot the film in a village in Thoothukudi. The movie speaks about women’s abuse and caste issues. Some of the scenes were shot at the Thoothukudi harbour. Despite the challenges, we were determined to not compromise with the making of the movie,” said Mohammad. The movie will be released in theatres next year in multiple languages.
“TIFF is considered the platform for the Oscars. Movies made in 200 languages from over 100 countries are being featured at the Toronto festival. Getting selected for such a huge platform is a proud moment for us,” said Mohammad.
Now, the team is gearing up to make another full-length commercial film in Malayalam.“Though the weather and the general atmosphere were adverse at the time, we were determined to complete it at any cost. I believe films are a medium to communicate and share extremely relevant things with the world,” said Hari Krishnan, a doctor, who produced Oruvan.