Mellina Kanavugal opens with a scene familiar to the Tamil film audience. A young girl is asked by her parents to get ready as a prospective groom and his family are expected. But, the girl is unhappy as she would rather have a career. The enraged father steps out but when he returns, he has had a change of heart and encourages his daughter to dream big.
This short film has been directed by Joshna Roshini M, a second year B. Tech student from Department of Electronics & Media Technology of Karunya Institute of Technology & Sciences. “A total of 28 short films were on the final shortlist and our film won the second place at the Community Radio Video Challenge (CRVC),” says an excited Joshna, about the recognition that has come her way. The CRVC is a national short film contest organised by Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia in collaboration with UNESCO Delhi and AIMC.
Joshna learnt about the competition through a poster on her college notice board. The theme, ‘Community radio on women empowerment’, inspired her to take part. “I have seen in many homes, especially in Tamil Nadu, teenage daughters still facing the pressure to get married early. As a result of which all their dreams remain unfulfilled. In most cases, marriage becomes an obstacle in the way of a career,” says Joshna who wrote and directed the film along with members of Graphite Pictures.
In Mellina.... it is a radio programme that influences the father’s decision to support his daughter. He listens to an on-air show where a heartbroken father narrates how he buried the dreams of his daughter (who wanted to be an RJ) by getting her married off. And an unhappy turn of events leads to the girl losing her memory permanently. “I love to tell stories. And as part of my course, we also learn about media and technology. While visual communication students learn how to use the camera, we get down to the basics of how a camera is made. I want to make films that affect people in a positive way. Mellina Kanavugal is my first film and I want to make more.” Some other topics in her mind are about transgenders, gender inequality at workplace, violence against women....
Joshna shot the film in and around the Karunya Institute campus located at the foothills of Siruvani with a 10-member crew. “I spent a lot of time on the script. Though we shot the film in four days, it came with its own set of challenges. I had to learn about lighting, camera angles, and interact with the actors (her batchmates and faculty members) to get the emotion the way I had visualised them.”
Joshna and her team are just back from Delhi after attending the award ceremony. “All the 28 films were screened and there was so much to learn. The first prize went to a film that put the spotlight on how radio empowers women in a rural setting. All the films revolved around how mass media helps create a positive impact on women’s lives.”
The team also got an opportunity to meet and interact with other filmmakers from across India. Besides, there was also a workshop on making of documentaries. Says Joshna, “The workshop also taught us how to make a great film despite budget constraints. We could network with people from everywhere, especially the Kashmiris. They were so friendly and have invited us to visit Kashmir and make films there.”
Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/
swatch?v=t6GCHDt8w_E