Dream debut

Sherrey's debut feature film, ‘Aadimadhyantham,' has been selected for the international competition section of IFFK 2011.

November 17, 2011 06:44 pm | Updated July 31, 2016 01:39 am IST

18tvf sherry and kid.jpg

18tvf sherry and kid.jpg

In the last 10 years, Sherrey has never missed the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram. While watching classics from around the world, little did the young cable operator from Thaliparamba, Kannur district, imagine that one day his own film too would be screened at the festival, and that too in the international competition section.

“To say that I was shocked when I got a call from the Chalachitra Academy informing me that my film has been selected for the competition section of the IFFK would be putting it mildly. When I entered the film, my best hope was that it might be selected for the Malayalam Cinema Today section,” he says.

‘Aadimadhyantham,' Sherrey's maiden feature film, is one of the four Indian films in the competition section (‘Adaminte Makan Abu' is the only other Malayalam film).

Making a mark

It was after making a mark with his short films that Sherrey decided to direct a feature. All the five short films – ‘The Return,' ‘Kadaltheerathu,' ‘The Last Leaf,' ‘Suryakanthi,' and ‘Geeta Govindam' – he made during the last six years earned him recognition, including State film awards for the best short film. And watching those films, one can easily gauge his potential as a filmmaker. ‘The Last Leaf,' for instance, screened at the ALA short film festival in Kozhikode three years ago, was a sensitively crafted film about two young nuns and suppression of sexuality.

It was the confidence that he gained from making these short films that made it possible for the creation of ‘Aadimadhyantham,' says Sherrey. “To make a feature film has always been a dream and I had written even a couple of scripts, one of which I was planning to shoot with Naseeruddin Shah. He agreed to do it too, but he asked me to wait for a year. Then I thought of ‘Aadimadhyantham,' which I felt I could make with a smaller budget, as it didn't require major stars,” he says.

No big names

The biggest stars in ‘Aadimadhyantham' are Mamukoya and Indrans. The only other ‘experienced' actor is Sajitha Madathil, a theatre actor and deputy director of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. The film is about a four-year-old boy's fears about death and his loneliness. “Little Ekalavyan, who is speech impaired and who can hear only with a hearing aid, has nightmares about death. There are three elderly persons living in his house and every day when he gets up he makes sure that they are not dead. While he dreads the nights, he loves the days and enjoys the sights of nature,” says the director.

Sherrey had to visit many schools before finding the right child actor for the role. “Eventually, I cast Prajith, who has come up with a brilliant performance, though he had no previous experience in acting,” says Sherrey.

‘Aadimadhyantham' has been produced by P.A. Rasheed, under the banner of Kulthar Creations. The film was shot using a digital camera, drastically cutting the cost of production. “It was after watching ‘Chappa Kurishu,' which was made with the same technology, that I got the confidence to make ‘Aadimadhyantham,'” says the director.

Sherrey says the film will be released in cinemas soon. “The selection to the IFFK will hopefully make things easier for us to take the film to viewers,” he says.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.