T hey have all long gone past the gateway to tinsel town a long time ago but those first moments on celluloid are cherished memories for with them. while the nuggets of information thrill their fans. Celebrities of the film industry open their hearts and wax nostalgic on Amrita TV in the programme ‘My First Film' on Amrita TV, which is goes on air every Sunday on all Sundays at 9 p.m.
The director of the programme, Vinod Vidyadharan, , the director of the programme program, once dabbled in animation, and after a couple of stints of assisting film directors like K.Madhu and P.K.Prakash now also handles another film based program on Amrita, the Movie Bazar. Vinod shares his experiences on the studio floor.
Shaping of a programme
The programme evolved into its present style quite by chance. Once, while interviewing a film personality, we asked him if he had anything new to say to add a new dimension to the interview. He started talking about his experience of his first film and that struck a bell in us. That is how ‘My First Film' evolved. Actors and directors share evocative moments about their first shot, their first premiere, their first hero/heroine, previous experiences in other art forms, their debut in other languages and so on.
The format
The programme is shot at various locations where the actor has an ongoing shooting schedule. The anchor introduces the film person and then the questions are scrolled on the screen. graphically on the program, Clippings from the films referred to by the personality are weaved into the episode.
The participants
In about 22 episodes we have already covered a number of acting talents from the Malayalam film industry. The show opened with Kavya Madhavan, and has gone on to portray favourites like Biju Menon, Priyamani, Bhavana, Bhama, and Kunchakko Boban among others. And no, episodes on Mohanlal and Mammootty are not yet over. In fact, they are yet to be shot.
What's special, what's ahead?
We will be featuring directors next. We will be also featuring celebrities from other language film industries too. One with Dimple Kapadia is completed and a rendezvous with Vikram is on the cards.
Memorable moments
The programme has film stars walking down memory lane and the episode with KPAC Lalitha was especially memorable. She recalled how Thoppil Bhasi refused to let her star in a film. She spoke of her first ever pay check of Rs. 200. Actor Ashokan recalled working on his debut film ‘Peruvazhiyambalam' and of working with the late director Padmarajan. Kavya reminisced about a scene during the picturisation of the song ‘Vennila Chandanakinnam' in the film ‘Azhaiya Ravanan.' Each celebrity had something to share that made the show memorable.
