early days

FINALLY... after much cajoling and threatening the crew posts have started to trickle in... we're a motley crew- from several different places- making a film together. Here's our 2nd AD - Arun Varma- doodling his thoughts together...

"Working in my previous film left me like a patient with some incurable ailment. There were positives and negative. The positive points were that I learnt a lot, about work business and also gave me a revelation or a surety that I can survive or do anything if I put my mind to it. There is absolutely no meaning for the word IMPOSSIBLE.

On the other hand unbearable pressure and too many responsibilities, with not a single soul to share, left me with lot of scars still taking its slow pace to heal. Some of them to such an extent that I even began to get scared of the ring tone that I so dearly selected and played. I couldn’t believe that work could make some go real crazy. I changed that tone, but that’s a famous tone and it always sent shock waves down my nerves when it cries out loud in the public from some other phones. Chennai- my city pleased me no more. I decided to take a break. Once the preview was done I vanished from the place without telling anyone.

I reached Kerala with no deadlines in mind. I spent almost a month in the ponds, drinking toddy, seeing people, going place, fishing, hunting, trekking, long drives, bike treks, and what not. It was a rejuvenating experience. If my memory’s right it was during those happy days that my Mentor- Major Ravi called me and told about a new film called Manjadikuru (Little Red Seeds).

By the way, I am Arun Varma- Assistant to Major Ravi. Joined Major in his first independent project Kirti Chakra after Graduation in Visual Communication from Loyola College, Chennai. He is my teacher and guide.

Major said that the director is a lady named Anjali Menon. She doing a new venture and it is technically different from the normal films. It is shot using 16mm and with spot recording. I was excited on hearing this. I decided to work in the project as I wanted to learn.

Once I reached the place I was told about this blog by Anjali Menon. I read the blog and this is what came in my mind. I have more ‘Manjadikkuru Tales’ to tell…some real and some fictional… but that is based on the response I get for this one. If my team mates leave me alive I’ll continue. Anjali has also asked me to write about my experience while working in Manjadikuru. I also hope to cover that in the “Manjadikuru Tales Series”.

Nostalgia… that is the only word that appears once you read the script of “Manjadikuru”.

Little Red Seeds which is considered very lucky- that’s the meaning of Manjadikuru (Munch-adikuru). My first rendezvous with on such lucky seed was when I fell down after chasing my cousin through the lush green paddy fields of Vadakkancherry- my grandpa’s place. Though I fell flat on my chest, and the fall hurt me a lot, I never cried. I must have been 8 then. Instead of crying, I had my attention on a small red stone (as I thought then) which I spotted few inches away from my nose on the ground. It looked like something very different, very unique unlike other stones. I took the stone, made myself comfortable on that path and began examining it. It had a very distinct shape, a very distinct size and a very distinct colour. It took my memory to those stones that people wore on their ring. Precious as my mom would call it. At that instant I knew that I was not holding a simple stone. Yes! This is it! A perfect combination! Forgetting all about the fall, the bruise on my knee, the dust on my chest, I exclaimed with joy… “I found a Precious Stone”. My cousins who came back searching for me laughed on seeing the way I was, “As comfortable as a chicken” on the ground. I instantly hid my precious discovery in my trouser pocket. I never told them anything about this new discovery of mine.

I was thinking of what I could do with this precious stone. I showed it to my younger brother. He was very much fascinated with the stone that he wanted it. He had a toy plane which I liked very much. But he never gave it to me. I decided to sell the stone to my younger brother as an exchange for the plane. Initially he was hesitant, but finally he agreed for the deal. That was a happy day for me. What more could a boy of 8 ask for after the discovery of a precious stone and a decent business deal with his own bother. Fair enough.

Next day I decided to walk back the path and see if could make more precious discoveries. And yes I found one. Great! I marked the soft toy pup- Ricky, as a deal for this stone. I found two more. I’ll get to see his collection box and his toy camera. I kept walking ahead and I found more and more. My list of ‘things to buy’ increased. Dad’s still camera, dad’s hero pen, dad’s watch, grandpa’s snuff box, grandpa’s goggles, grandpa’s house… the list in my mind grew bigger till I finally reached a spot where I found lot more of stones on the floor and my brother sitting right beside it counting. The list in my mind simply crumpled like a mud castle in a wave. The seeds from hand dropped and my brother looked up. He smiled at me sarcastically. He showed me the stone and said that it was not a stone, but a seed. I was surprised. How can a seed look so perfect and beautiful? His other little friends supported his argument and showed me the place where it came from. Finally I was convinced and I had to sadly return the toy plane. I never knew about the seed because I came down to Kerala only for my vacation.

Munchadikuru stories never end here. I have more. But Sujatha(the 1st AD) is shouting and I have to go. The next time when I steal some time from my work, I’ll write the next one."