What happens when a happy bunch of kids try to confront or overcome an emotional hiccup? What, in their emotional spectrum, would vex them or traumatise them? Do they traverse the same emotional rollercoasters that an adult might experience? Or are the triggers different for them? Would they learn from it and become stronger or would they be conquered by such incidents?

New directions

Techie-turned-author and filmmaker Indu Lekshmi, a.k.a. Indu VR, delves into these questions to seek the answers in a short film Utharakadalasu, which has been directed by her.

This is her second short film after Alikhitham, which won her an award and was appreciated for its take on sexual abuse and punishment. For her second short, the mother of two says she was moved by a post on Facebook, which was written by author and academic Manu Remakant.

Indu had been mulling over a theme for a short film and that was when she chanced upon Manu's post. After getting his consent to use the material for a script and, eventually, a film, she wrote a story about a group of kids and a pact amongst them that took an unexpected turn.

Set in a small school in a rural area, the film seeks to delve into the mindscape of children. Once the writing part was done, Indu set out to finalise the cast and crew to breathe life into her characters and story.

“While I was working on my first film, my son, Niranjan Nair, was very keen on acting and so I had promised him a role in my next. I kept that promise and cast him in the lead role," says Indu.

Shot in Government LP School, Mylam, the lead roles have been played by six-year-old Niranjan, Gautham Ratheesh, Rahul S Aromal and Raveendran Nair, Indu’s father. “Some of the children in the school also feature in the film and each has done his role so well. It was surprising to see how children, including my son, were so confident in front of the camera after a few takes,” says Indu.

Group effort

Crowdfunded by her husband, Kanakan Nair, and friends Mavis, Lijo and Pradeep Gopan, the film has found favour with many more people among Indu’s circle of friends. Filmed by Navaneeth R, the movie’s music has been scored by musician Mikku Kaavil, with whom she had worked in her first film as well. A song, the lyrics of which has been wirtten by Indu, has been rendered by Rakesh Kishore. Indu plans to screen the film in film fetes and competitions before releasing it on Youtube. The song was released on Wednesday, on the occasion of Children’s Day.