With plenty of pizza restaurant advertisements being aired on Indian screens, the Italian delicacy has found a permanent place in the modern Indian’s menu.
So when a free television is brought home, these pizza commercials tickle the taste buds of two boys living in a slum.
For the two brothers, sinking their teeth into a cheesy slice of pizza becomes a dream.
First-time filmmaker M. Manikandan’s Tamil film Kaakka Muttai (Crow’s Egg), explores this little wish.
However, nothing prepared Manikandan for the laurels the film brought home. Kaakka Muttai got a standing ovation at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival last September; this April at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, Kaakka Muttai was awarded the Audience Choice Awards for Best Narrative while the two protagonists, child actors Vignesh and Ramesh, received Best Actor awards. The icing on the cake came with two Indian National Film awards, one for Best Children’s Film and the second Best Child Actors award for Vignesh and Ramesh, two newcomers who had never faced a camera before.
One-time wedding photographer Manikandan found the spark for his debut film in his own life.
“My eight-year-old son asked for a pizza every time he saw those commercials,” said Manikandan, who trained in cinematography at Mindscreen Film Institute (managed by noted cinematographer Rajeev Menon) before venturing into films.
On one pizza outing with his son, he wondered about children from the poorer section of society.
“Pizza is an expensive meal and I wondered just how many children could afford it.”
The idea grew into a story and the film got rolling after Manikandan’s meeting with Tamil director Vetrimaran, who saw immense potential in the script and immediately decided to produce it. Vetrimaran then sent the script to close buddy and actor Dhanush.
Dhanush though Manikandan’s story was a reflection of his own childhood and joined in as co-producer.
The first hurdle came with the casting. Auditions were held but Manikandan was not impressed with the children who tried out. During a visit to Chennai’s Kasimedu slum, he noticed Vignesh and Ramesh playing on the beach and decided that they would play the two protagonists.
“There is a wild streak in the children growing up in the slums,” revealed Manikandan. “They eat crabs and suck crows’ eggs and are a tough lot.”
But the boys’ parents were reluctant to let them work in his film. Manikandan met them again, this time accompanied by his wife and son.
“We invited Vignesh and Ramesh with their families home for lunch. The boys even stayed at my home for three days.”
It did not take long for Manikandan to win over the confidence of their parents. He assured them that their boys would be safe under his care.
The first schedule of the shooting began in the slums of Kasimedu, though not without hurdles.
“Filming on the narrow streets was a challenge as they were often blocked with the arrival of a water tanker. Women came out in hordes on the streets with their water containers,” Manikandan recalled.
“We also had to deal with local dadas [thugs] who controlled the area. Not to forget the mob who gathered to watch the shooting.”
With novices as protagonists, Manikandan says, “I had to draw varying emotions from them. I learnt to win them over with love and not by being overbearing. I also did not want to pamper them too much.”
There were times when he wondered: “Why did I take on this project?”
All that is a story of the past, as Manikandan now looks forward to the release of Kaakka Muttai. This feel-good family drama is scheduled to hit UAE screens on June 4 (June 5 worldwide) and is being distributed by Fox Star Studios, not just in traditional markets like Europe, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore but even in non-traditional markets such as Japan and South Korea.
Tamil actress Aishwarya Rajesh, last seen in Thirudan Police, plays the mother of the two boys. G.V. Prakash has scored the music. Manikandan has also handled the camera.
The hard days of Kaakka Muttai are far behind. In May, Manikandan escorted Vignesh and Ramesh to Delhi for the National Film award ceremony.
“It was their first experience on a flight and they were scared.”
