the new family - our crew

Today is the day before Onam. On any other year, today would be filled with the excitement of the festival, the homecoming of the family, the flower patterns and of course the onakodee- the new dresses or sarees gifted. But this Onam, I am swept away in a totally different direction... its an excitement mixed with nervous energy and plenty of optimism as we head closer to the making of this film.

Our new family comprising of the crew of Lucky Red Seeds has temporarily disbanded to join their real families for the festival. As one of the ADs joked, "we are here because we are 'extras' in our families". Yes I know the feeling- you feel slightly mad in comparison to others around you. They may never know the feeling when one puts together the right face to the right character or the perfect location to the script setting. Its a weird passion that links us together. A weird passion for self torture to make a movie that is different, special and will touch someone somewhere for a moment or two.

Our crew so far is an interesting mix of people- we have people who are from different parts of Kerala, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkota, Europe and some like me who are still figuring out where they belong. More the merrier they say- which is true but there are also work styles, culture issues, gender roles and many other factors that come to play at this kind of work. And the interesting part is forging a way together through all of this. Slowly but steadily - we're getting there. I have to say that each person on our crew does seem very motivated and passionate about what they believe in. That's a great place to start!

So on this Onam, my special wishes go out to these special individuals who are bringing this film together. Thank you for being part of it. Wish you a very happy Onam!