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PS Vinothraj joins the emerging Tamil leadership movement (many with disadvantaged backgrounds like their own) to address societal inequalities.
In a bustling Indian market, a child worker carrying flower bags was captivated by cameramen traveling in giant cranes. Two decades later, the boy has become the latest film sensation in his country.
PS Vinothraj’s low-budget film Koozhangal – the internationally acclaimed translation of the title Pebbles – has been nominated for next year’s Indian Feature Film Awards at India’s Oscars.
The 32-year-old drew from his family’s struggle for poverty and his sister’s experience of marital abuse to tell the story of an alcoholic father and his young son, traversing the barren and unforgivable landscape of his native Tamil Nadu.
“My real life experience gave me a hard time and helped me in this film. That kind of life has become a movie, ”Vinothraj told AFP.
The result is an observational drama described by Indian critics as a “masterpiece” and “a sensational premiere … suggestive, gut-wrenching and powerful.”
He won the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the jury said his “seemingly simple and humble” effort was a “pure film lesson.”
Vinothraj joins the emerging Tamil leadership movement – many with disadvantaged backgrounds like themselves – to address the inequalities of society through the voices and lives of everyday people.
If he didn’t get on the festival circuit, his initial intention was to show in the villages where Pebbles was filmed, with less than 40 actors and groups.
This is the end of the young filmmaker’s long journey to the big screen. At the age of nine, Madurai started selling flowers to support her family after her father died.
“So much has happened in my life and these things have made me ready for it,” he said through a translator.
“I don’t speak English, I don’t speak education. Life’s journey has taught me everything. These are the metaphors of the film; that is the journey of a lifetime. ‘
Vinothraj worked in his childhood and adolescence, moving to various towns and cities.
At one point, he was an employee of a textile company in Tiruppur, where he “saw before my eyes that many people’s lives were being ruined” because of personal and financial problems.
“Some got married at a very young age and went through a lot of struggles. All that was left for me was to try to express those struggles. ”
‘Pain through film’
Convinced that he could help fulfill his dream of becoming a director of education, he tried to get the author back to school, but was told he was too old.
Eventually, she moved to the state capital of Chennai and spread her cinematic knowledge while working in a DVD store watching movies before working as an assistant in short films and theater.
Looking for ideas for her first feature film, Vinothraj’s sister walked through the door of her family’s home, crying, holding her two-year-old child in her arms. Her husband had to leave her wedding home and walk 13 miles (8 miles).
“I was in pain and I was wondering why real life is such a struggle. And I realized that I’m in the movies, that’s my tool. I can talk about my pain through film. ”
The journey of father and son in Pebbles is told through the eyes of a child, and the film’s harsh rural environment and the damage it does to its characters are the main theme of the film.
The title comes from a synonym used by the Tamils for the hills, and the stones that rural residents put in their mouths to quench their thirst on long journeys.
“I am very proud to know that this film has won the Tiger Award and is being submitted as an Oscar nomination in India,” Vinothraj said.
“Watching this film with an audience that has been so supportive, I think it’s a big celebration.”
Her next project is also inspired by a family situation, and she wants to continue making “simple and honest life stories”.
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