A trip down memory lane

For Anjali Menon, the wait is over.

And the countdown begins as her maiden venture, Manjadikuru, hits the screens in India tomorrow.

Manjadikuru, premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala in 2008, winning the director the FIPRESCI Award for best Malayalam film and the Hassankutty award for best debutant Indian director.

The following year, it cruised its way into the hearts of the jury, sweeping five Grand Jury awards at the South Asian International Film Festival, New York. In 2010, it was the official selection at the La Rochelle International Film Festival, in France.

"It's an exciting time," says the director, who did her masters in filmmaking at the London International Film School. "Now I am eager to see the response in my home country."

Written by her and produced by Little Films, her home production house, the film's cast includes Tilakan, Prithviraj, Urvashi, Rahman, Kaviyoor Ponamma and Sindhu Menon, Manjadikuru, revolves around ten-year-old "Gulf kid" Vicky, who visits his native village in Kerala to attend his grandfather's funeral.

"It's about a time and frame set in the '80s, a trip down memory lane and talks of a simpler life, yet a richer one," says Menon, who herself was a Gulf kid, having grown up in Dubai.

The film, besides garnering a clutch of awards, won the hearts of viewers in fests abroad, so much that it prompted her to start a blog: mymanjadi.wordpress.com.

"People came up to me to share a childhood memory, those personal things you open up with a friend," says Menon. "What surprised me most was the fact that people are the same, be it in Kerala, France or Germany. Some wrote emails. That's when I decided on the blog."

Vicky later returns to his village as an adult and realises that the experiences of his earlier trip were life lessons. "It's a story of past age, lost innocence and hidden guilt."

While Prithviraj plays the adult, child actor Sidharth plays little Vicky.

"Prithviraj is warm and witty, yet sensitive," shares Menon. "I find he carries a wonderful mix of emotions. It was easy working with him. He is straight forward, forthcoming and helpful."

She met Sidharth at a theatre camp. "He was a shy kid who used to sit next to me and I got chatting. During play acting, he would be looking at the floor always. Something about him struck a chord in me. He had never acted before but I found he suited the character. It was a huge risk I was taking.

"On the sets, he underwent the same transformation that Vicky goes through in the film. I was able to get a spontaneous reaction from him."

‘For the child in me'

The other child actor is Vyjayanthi, who plays Roja, the maid in the film hails from Virudhanagar where she works in a matchbox factory and was earlier seen in Vasanthabalan's film, Veyil. Vyjayanthi won the best emerging talent, award at the South Asian International Film Festival. Other child actors are Rijosh and Aarthi Sasikumar.

As for the title, it evolved from the character of Manikutty, a five-year-old, who is always busy collecting these red seeds. While people around her moved on in search of newer and larger things, Manikutty's fascination with the seeds remains.

"I have made this film for the child in me," says this mother of an eight-month-old baby.

"It's all about childhood but not a children's film, yet something every adult can relate to."

The tagline of the film reads, "Every seed a memory, Every memory a seed."

Visuals were handled by international award-winning cinematographer Pietro Zuercher. He received the best cinematography award at the South Asian International Film Festival. "I have known Peter for some time," says Menon.

"His work is impressive. He bonded well with our child actors. Besides, I wanted an outsider's perspective while capturing the beauty of Kerala."