Neither 12-year-old Vignesh nor 10-year-old Ramesh had any inkling of what lay ahead when director Manikandan met them at the beach near their home in the Chennai slum of Kasimedu two years ago.
Their film Kaakka Muttai (Crow’s Egg) became the golden egg that changed the lives of these two boys living in slums, winning them a National Film Award and turning them into overnight stars.
Vignesh and Ramesh were commended by the National jury “for their portrayal of inseparable siblings living in a slum who innocently struggle with rare dignity to acquire what attracts them in this vast market of products unleashed by a liberal economy, only to realise the harsh reality of invincible class boundaries.”
Ramesh studies in grade seven. Vignesh is in grade ten.
Looking back, Ramesh remembers running away from the director when he first met him at the beach. “I was scared of him,” he said with a smile.
On the set, he watched in disbelief the first time that actor Dhanush visited.
“I went up to the director and asked him, ‘Is he the original Dhanush or a duplicate?’”
When the National Awards were announced, he did not understand its significance.
“I got excited when I was told that we would be flying to Delhi to collect the awards.”
Dhanush and Vetrimaran have initiated a programme to support the education of all the child actors of Kaakka Muttai.
