‘Najuss’: Real-life dog hero Kuvi makes it to the silver screen

Kuvi, a dog that helped a rescue team locate the body of two-year-old girl Dhanushka, following a massive landslip in Idukki in 2020, plays the lead role in Najuss, a film which tells the story of a stray dog

Kuvi with Ajith Madhavan. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Kuvi, a female dog, first shot to fame after it helped the rescue team locate the body of two-year-old girl Dhanushka, a member of her owner’s family and beloved companion, following a massive landslip at Pettimudy in Idukki on August 6, 2020.

The canine, later adopted by Ajith Madhavan, a civil police officer, nowadays relaxes at its master’s house at Cherthala in Alappuzha, waiting for the release of the movie Najuss in which she will make her big screen debut as the protagonist.

The soon-to-be-released movie was written and directed by Sreejith Poyilkavu. The film centres on the story of a stray dog that arrives in a village in Malappuram, gradually winning the hearts of the residents, and the events that unfold. The shooting of the film has been completed.

“It is a dog-oriented film and Kuvi is playing the lead character. Kuvi was trained by Mr. Madhavan to perform certain scenes. On the movie set, it behaved like just another crew member. It mingled with everyone and did scenes effortlessly,” says Mr. Poyilkavu, adding that the film would be released in April or May.

Poster of the movie Najuss.

Mr. Madhavan, who was with Kerala Police’s K9 Squad (Dog Squad), first met Kuvi during the search and rescue operation at Pettimudy where 70 people lost their lives in the tragedy.

“Twenty-one of the 23 members of Dhanushka’s family had perished in the landslip. Kuvi was in a dejected state after looking for her loved ones in vain. After initially refusing to eat food, she slowly started to consume the yolk of boiled eggs and stick around me,” recalls Mr. Madhavan.

The body of Dhanushka was recovered four days after the tragedy from the debris, a few kilometres away from the landslip site, when Kuvi drew the attention of the rescue team to the place. Though Mr. Madhavan wanted to adopt the canine, she was recruited to the police dog squad after the landslip. Almost a year later, Dhanushka’s grandmother appealed to the police and Kuvi was returned to the family.

In early 2022, the dog became pregnant and the family handed over it to Mr. Madhavan, who brought her to Cherthala. “While in the dog squad, I gave her training in obedience and heel walk, among other exercises. Five-year-old Kuvi completed the 20-day film shooting with ease,” says Mr. Madhavan, who is currently posted in the Adimaly station.

The film also include Sajitha Madathil, Kailash, Tito Wilson, Ambili Sunil, and Manoj Govidan.