When most youngsters his age would be watching Mohanlal and Shah Rukh Khan-starrers, Yadu Vijayakrishnan would rather prefer movies of Akira Kurasowa and Ingmar Bergman. His interest and appreciation for world classics only shows a facet of this young budding filmmaker. Yadu, 17, a Std XII student of NSS Public School, Perunthanni, is by now also quite adept in the technical aspects of filmmaking.
Recognition
Recently, Yadu won two awards, including a national-level award, at the students' short film competition conducted by the New Delhi-based Pearl Academy of Fashion. Yadu's five minute short film ‘A day in my city' bagged the first prize at the regional competition and third prize in the national level competition conducted by the Academy.
“I shot the five minute video using a mobile camera. I went to different parts of Thiruvananthapuram to capture the life of the city at different time frames. Shankhumukham beach, East Fort commercial area, schools and temples were some of the places I filmed for the short film for which I used the real sound of the settings,” said Yadu, adding that he later edited his shots using an editing software at a cousin's house.
This is not the first time that Yadu is trying his hand at film-making. Son of noted director Vijayakrishnan, Yadu has to his credit two short films. The 30-minute short film “Cob Web”, shot in 2009, deals with the theme of Internet addiction among young students. His recent venture “Starting Trouble” (five minutes-long), meanwhile, is a romantic short film starring Tamil actor Aravind Varma. While “Cob Web” was screened at the Contact Video Festival held last year in Thiruvananthapuram, “Starting Trouble” is scheduled to be premiered at the same festival to be held in Banglore in November.
Inspiration
Yadu has also acted in his father's films as a child artist. “But acting is not my real interest. I am more into the behind-the-camera aspects of filmmaking. That is why I want to do a post graduation in cinematography from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune,” he said.
Yadu says that his father, who has won several State awards for his television serials, is the real inspiration behind his filmmaking ambitions. “I have accompanied my father to his shoots and studios from a very young age. That is how I got interested in filmmaking. Although my father hasn't exactly taught me the art, he has always been my inspiration and has helped me with his suggestions,” he said.
It is also his father's vast collection of international films and world classics that remains a mine house of knowledge for Yadu. His mother S.P. Asha is a teacher at NSS Public School, Perunthanni, while his sister Sruthi Vijayakrishnan is an assistant producer at Doordarshan Kendra, Thiruvananthapuram.
