NAGAPATTINAM: No major studio, no big light or dolly. A small crew of amateurs and a cop are to lead their way. Adorning the cap of a filmmaker, a man in a khaki uniform stands busy explaining the next shots in line to a newbie actor, with eyes gleaming of passion.
Working for 12 hours a day at the Kilvelur police station in Nagapattinam could not exhaust the urge of Nelson Krishnamoorthy, a first-grade police constable, from trying his hand in film making. Nurturing a childhood passion, the 32-year-old decided to make short films hailing socially-relevant themes with a hope of creating awareness in the society. His latest film, ‘Magale Unakkaga’ (For you, our daughter), produced by Nagapattinam police, emphasise the role of education in protecting girl children from sexual abuse.
“I used to pen plays in school, but began learning professional filmmaking only after joining service. Often, I have wondered whether I could spread awareness in the society with my limited filmmaking skills and knowledge. Anyhow, now I am trying to learn more, as I go along,” says Nelson, who hails from a farmer’s family in Mela Othiyathur village in Eravancheri. Though he had dropped out of college in search of employment, Nelson is now on cloud nine as his film is being screened across educational institutions.
For Nelson, who had joined the service as a second-grade constable in 2011 and deputed to a special team in Chennai till 2016, leisure time was mostly spent working as an assistant director in films directed by his friend Senthil. “That’s where I picked up skills like crew coordination, camera handling, video editing and dialogue writing. After getting transferred to Nagapattinam, I pondered on applying what I learnt to make short films with social causes,” Nelson said. Soon, the cop-cum-filmmaker approached some of his colleagues from the police department to act in his directorials, and collaborated with a few like-minded friends —Ajith Kumar, Sakthi Arjun and Mahesh—who had been aspiring to join the film industry. Some others, JB and Nadappur Senthil, assisted him during the production. Each one of them relished the experience, in spite of not having prior field experiences, and learnt along with open hearts.
In 2021, Nelson’s debut short film ‘‘Adharku Thaga’ (Accordingly), which aimed to promote awareness against online scams, was released. His second endeavour, ‘Nagarvalam’ (Town Patrol), which came out in 2023, revolved around the safety of women in our society. Impressed with his works, Nagapattinam District Police opted to fund his third venture ‘Magale Unakkaga’. Last year, Superintendent of Police Harsh Singh had also launched a campaign by the same name to spread awareness about the crimes taking place against children. “There are many such hidden talents in the police department. And, when they contribute through the department, such initiatives could benefit the society better,” said SP Harsh Singh.
Encouraged by the department and district police, who granted him paid leaves, Nelson, his colleagues and friends were able to complete their schedules in a hassle-free manner. Happy with the output, SP Harsh Singh awarded Nelson with a certificate of appreciation. Further, his films have received a good number of views and positive comments on YouTube.
Amidst all the pats on shoulder, Nelson points out that his family, wife Soumya and children Vijay Bharath and Viji Krishna, always remain his first audience and critics. “They encourage me to do better,” says Nelson, whose next big dream is to make longer feature films, so as to highlight the intended messages elaborately.
(Edited by Arya AJ)