“When we set out on a journey on our bike around the city and its outskirts to hunt for an idea for a documentary film, we noticed the Cooum River travel along with us. So we thought, ‘Why not make a film on Cooum?’” says Naveen Rajh, a student of L.V. Prasad Film Academy in Saligramam.
Naveen Rajh and his batchmate Magesh have made a 30-minute documentary film — The Holy Cocktail — on the river as part of their final-year project.
The film brings out facts about the river during the colonial days and before.
“When you think of Cooum, you think of sewage. Over the years, the river has been reduced to this. But how many of us know that it was because of Cooum that Madras became a colony of the British?” says Naveen Rajh, who directed the film.
The film also highlights the rich ecosystem the Cooum once supported.
“Some of the historians we spoke to said that there were crocodiles in the river,” says Naveen.
“The river is mentioned in Thevaram and a few Nayanmars have sung about the greatness of the river and the part it can play in attaining salvation.”
Screened in ThrissurThe film was screened at Vibgyor Film Festival this February in Thrissur. It will be screened in Chennai during the Madras Week celebrations in August.
