It was one of those hot, dry Monday afternoons after school when the sun thinks it's funny to channel all the heat and UV rays it can muster on you. Needless to say, it played its part to such perfection that my friends and I were suggesting random things to keep us occupied during the most boring phase in school life. It was when one of them suggested that we make a movie I knew for sure that the heat was playing serious mind games on us.
Scripting
After reaching home that day and rejuvenating myself, I sat down to study. As the mind of any ordinary adolescent would, mine too drifted off to different and juicy thoughts. I went through a volley of depressing and joyful thoughts until my mind finally arrived at our hare-brained scheme to make a movie.
My friends had also told me to frame a story for our film. But this was not all. They actually expected me to weave a story relating Greek mythology, Chennai, and us, a bunch of ninth graders who don't have anything better to do! If this was not mad enough, it also was expected to have ounces of drama, action, romance and comedy all rolled into one.
Later, when boredom got the better of me, I did frame the story and I was actually quite proud of it. It was then that the plan was finalised and we were ready to show the world why an idle mind is indeed the Devil's workshop.
Words wouldn't ever be able to capture the fun we had while crafting the trailer (yes, there is a trailer). It did more than to provide us with something to do, it gave us something to rejoice, something to worry about, and something to gloat about! It is our brainchild and it is indeed magic to see it on screen! It was worth all the effort and all the punishments we got for staying out too late.
But in the long run, during the number of years that await us, these are the memories we're going to be carrying for the rough mountain of life ahead. After all, these are the kind of memories that can make you laugh in times of stress and smile on a bed of either roses or thorns. After all, there is a certain degree of madness one must maintain in his or her life!
For the curious ones out there, the trailer is trending on YouTube and ‘Naanga Kadavul' is — as filmmakers call it — coming soon!
NIRMAL B. PILLAI, IX, DAV Senior Secondary School, Mogappair
