Mikhail Kandethiya Nidhi is indeed precious for the students of Sainik School, Kazhakuttam. The short film is the third venture by the videography club of the school to bag various honours.
Set in a school, the film is about a student Mikhail and the treasure he finds - not glittering riches but one that is very earthy – an understanding of the beauty of nature and its rhythms.
Mikhail is a Class VI student who is a member of the agri club of the school. A dreamer, he manages to introduce his sister to the wonders of nature during the walk to school. He is keen on seeing land in the school tilled so that paddy can be cultivated, but the work is beyond younger students’ ability.
Land dug up
To get his seniors interested, Mikhail floats a story about a treasure that leads them to dig up the land.
The students do not find the treasure they are looking for, but the seeds that are sown yield a rich harvest. Mikhail thus succeeds in bringing a whole lot of students closer to nature and its ways.
The film, directed by Malayalam teacher and videography club in-charge Sandhya R. in the 2017-18 academic year, has bagged the Satyajit Ray International Documentary and Short Film Festival ward in the best campus film category; two Bharathan Smaraka Awards for best woman director for Sandhya and best child artiste award for V. Pranav who plays Mikhail; ONV Kurup award for best message on environmental awareness at Ensemble short film competition at University College Film Festival; Nehru Yuva Kendra award; and three awards at the Swachhta Short film festival conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for best director, best child actor and best environmental film.
The film is the fruit of labour of students from Classes VI to X; no professionals were involved in it.
The students acted in the film, wielded the camera (Deepak D. Dev), and edited it (Vaibhav Ratheesh). Nandana Krishna, daughter of a school employee, plays Mikhail’s sister.
The film has one song written by Sandhya and sung by Dubai-based singer Anu Nagendranath. The film, she says, would not have been possible without the support of Principal Col. A. Rawat.
They have already finished work on two short films this academic year - Aakashathile Thiramalakal and Sarangiyude Chithra Pusthakam.