There’s so much more to Vijayan than just being the ‘travelling chaiwallah.’ He has a philosophy of travel which is perhaps his attitude towards life itself. Articles and television bytes have focused on Vijayan, the tea-stall owner, his wife Mohana, and their undying passion to see the world. For the first time a shortdocu film, Invisible Wings , trains the spotlight on the man, his philosophy, beliefs.
The brilliantly shot 10-minute film works on the premise that Vijayan is one who shows us the need to escape into a moral holiday at a time when we are too much with ourselves. A relentless chase of his dreams sharpens the edges of life, steeling him to taste hardship, and compelled to work even harder to realise that moment no matter what.
Hari M. Mohanan, the director of Invisible Wings , and his team consider making the film an unbelievable experience. “Like so many others we knew of Vijayan and his travels when we stepped into his tea stall. We got talking to him and this went on for nearly four months. All the while I kept recording the conversations on my mobile phone, almost 15 hours of conversation. At every turn we found our admiration for the man growing. He was certainly special. This spurred us to make this film,” says Hari, who has earlier assisted Shaji Kailas in a couple of films and made a music album ‘Alone’ in 2010.
The film is from Vijayan’s point of view. Mohana appears only in a couple of impacted sequences. But it is enough to understand her influence on Vijayan. “She is the strength that drives Vijayan’s passion. She diligently keeps Rs. 200-300 everyday in a small wooden box to be deposited in a chit fund. Very endearingly Vijayan acknowledges his wife’s part in their life.”
Mohana had not gone beyond Ernakulam before her marriage. Now, almost forty years later, she has accompanied Vijayan to more than 16 countries.
“What amazed me was their confidence. When they travel they pull down the shutters of the shop. This means a loss of around Rs. 3,000 a day and also clientele. But this does not deter Vijayan who returns, opens the shop as usual and finds his regular customers waiting for his tea, snacks and travel tales. Vijayan is not as escapist. He has been a faithful husband and a caring father to his two daughters.”
In the film Vijayan reveals that he must have spent over Rs. 15 lakhs for his travels so far. Apart from his savings he has often taken loans. He travels, returns, works for the next three years to repay the loans and then packs his bags for the next trip. People have called him mad for spending so much money which could have been put to better use. Vijayan confesses that he is ‘mad’ but only like so many others who have other mad desires and dreams.
Travel has not always been easy for Vijayan and Mohana. There have been occasions when they ran out of money but found some good soul to help them. Vijayan says in the filmthat almost all the people who travel with them on the package tours are ‘millionaires.’ When they exchange 500 dollars and spend, he restricts himself to 50 or 100 dollars. After all the travelling, seeing the place is what matters and not what one buys from there!
“For our film Vijayettan had no qualms about shutting his shop for a couple of days. His eyes, his body language, his voice revealed the man. There was one shot where we need him and his wife to look into the distance, very contemplative. They did this so naturally. They never cease to amaze me,” reveals Shyam Joseph, who has cranked the camera.
Invisible Wings is produced by Copybook Films, an initiative promoted by Hari and Athira Rayaroth, who has written the screenplay. It has music by Anil Johnson, sound by Arun Rama Varma, editing by Sumit Purohit and sound mastered by Dan Jose.
The first screening of the film will be held at Don Bosco Image, Vennala, Palarivattom, on March 14 at 4.50 p.m. “We have shot this not like a documentary, putting a lot of effort and money into it. We realise the need to market it but here again we don’t want to make it grossly commercial. We are in touch with certain agencies that have evinced an interest in the film. Most of the private screenings we did also evoked very positive response. But I want to screen this first before as many people as possible before selling it off,” says Hari.
As part of the promotion of the film Hari will go on a bicycle tour of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu beginning March 30. “I plan to meet corporate houses, IT groups, college students, villagers, and screen the film for them. I’m sure it will be inspirational not just because it is about someone who tells us that anyone can travel but because of Vijayan’s philosophy, his very positive approach to life.”
Vijayan is now gearing up for his trip to the United States. He has already deposited the money with his travel agent, money collected through a crowd funding programme that kicked off in Bangalore and through a bank loan. He and Mohana have gone to Chennai for their US visa.
They are waking up to another dream. The journey goes on and like Vijayan says at the end of the film everything is possible.
