In
a tiny concrete-and-tin Chennai home live two young brothers with their mother
and grandmother. The boys constantly beg their mother and grandmother for toys
they can't afford, and even for a television. They don't yet understand that
the two women can't give them everything they want.
When
their mother does find a way to bring an old television home, it's the opening
of a portal. The boys see a pizza commercial whose steaming, slow-motion images
make the unfamiliar food look like manna from heaven. And from that point on,
they dream of nothing but getting their first taste of pizza.
In
his feature debut, M. Manikandan uses this simple tale to paint a vivid
portrait of urban child poverty in South India. But it is one of hope and
initiative rather than despair. These brothers see all the obstacles between
them and their first slice as puzzles to be worked out, and they're more than
up to the task.
In an
exclusive interview with Usha Pudukkotai, Manikandan talks about the film and
his experiences. He's ecstatic about the
fact that this is the first time a film by a debut Tamil director has been
officially selected for a World Premiere in Toronto. It's a great feeling,
since he was looking for producers for this film for over two years. National award winning actor and producer of
successful films, Dhanush Kastooriraja and Vetri
Maaran co-produced this film, which carries a strong social message, in a not
too heavily emotional manner. It has a touch of humour, and couple of beautiful
songs. The music, by G.V Prakash Kumar is good and Manikandan says that while
working on the project they shared a great rapport. Even though it was a
low-budget film, he was very co-operative and gave several versions relentlessly.
On asked about his expectations, in terms of awards and
recognition, Manikandan says he's just happy making the film, which gave him
immense satisfaction. He has always had a soft corner for the street children,
and wanted to do something for them. He also wished that they two boys who
acted in the movie could accompany him to the Festival. They were unable to
make it because passports could not be issued to them. However, they are
friends with his son back home, in Chennai.
The film which premiered in Toronto at TIFF was warmly
received by non-diaspora audiences. It is definitely a great start and we hope
that this is a great beginning for Manikandan.
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