This Malayalam film’s title has been borrowed from a Mohan Lal film of the eighties, Doore Doore Oru Koodu Kootam, in which Lal plays a school teacher who translates uppumavu, a breakfast delicacy in south India, as ‘salt mango tree’ in English.
Directed by Rajesh Nair and written by scenarists Vinod and Vinod (Vinod Vijayakumar and Vinod Jayakumaran), Salt Mango Tree is about T.P. Aravindan and his family. The film is out in the UAE on December 10.
Aravindan, who runs a small medical store, is simple and not well versed in English. His wife, Priya however can converse in English. It is Priya’s ambition to see her son, Manu, study in an elite English medium school that takes the story forward.
Nair said, “Many schools today also assess parents and admissions are granted on the basis of their background [including] financial status and educational qualifications. My film is about the struggle that Aravindan and Priya go through in this process.”
Look out for the scene where Aravindan has to deliver a talk on child labour.
“It’s hilarious,” revealed Nair. “Biju Menon was great fun to work with. His inputs and improvisations added value to his character.”
Salt Mango Tree is a reflection of today’s education system and the anxiety parents deal with while seeking admission into a reputed school.
The lead roles of Aravindan and Priya are played by Biju Menon and Laskhmi Priya Chandra Mouli, a Chennai-based theatre actress. She was last seen in Tamil film Maya. Child actor Varkichan, selected through auditions, makes his film debut as Manu. Suhasini Maniratnam plays an important character, a teacher who is instrumental in changing Aravindan and Priya’s perspective on education and life.
The supporting cast includes Sudheer Karamana, Indrans and Sarayu.
Nair’s love for films goes back to his childhood days when he used to narrate stories to his classmates of films he had watched with his family.
“Often, my friends would return after watching the same film saying that they had enjoyed my narration better.”
Fuelled by this passion, this former CEO of a reputed company in Uganda quit work four years ago to become a student at New York Film Institute for a course in direction. His last film was Escape from Uganda, a thriller.
“This is a fun film centred around family relationships,” promised Nair.
