Recent Malayalam films have trodden various genres with success be it action, humour, thriller or romance. But there has never been a real market for children's films and has always been a genre that has been put on the backburner. While Bollywood and Kollywood industries do come up with the occasional children's film, Malayalam films that cater to children are few and far between.
The recent success of 'Phillips And The Monkey Pen' starring Master Sanoop in the main role has proved that the children's film genre has takers and that a film which is engagingly made can appeal to a wide section of the audience.
Talking about attempting a children's film director Rojin, of 'Phillips And The Monkey Pen', says, “In any household, there is probably one child. Since this was Shanil's and my debut venture, we could afford to take a different path because the subject was fresh."
Rojin smiles as he says that like children and animals, films based on them too are unpredictable, that is why nobody attempts it as a first film.. But Rojin says that the kids in his film performed very realistically as opposed to forced acting and the entire cast and crew became children. It is an irony that while the population is on a upward trajectory, as also the population of children, there has always been a dearth of films that cater to this huge segment.
For a man who has always been a rebel treading his own path, Vinayan's decision to make a children's film with 11year-old Deny in the lead titled as 'Little Superman 3D' comes as no surprise.
Vinayan says, “Today, most cinemagoers are youngsters while earlier it was senior members and family who used to watch films. Children these days are exposed to a lot more things - be it social, technological or emotional - than what my generation was privy to thanks to the Internet. So a 12-year-old boy may experice things that a 20-year old once did, be it his pranks, a crush or family bonds. My film will be treated differently and I am sure there will be a novelty to it."
The film is based on a story from the puranas where a child gains superhuman powers while still in the womb of his mother. Admittedly this is also a tough genre to negotiate with regard to distribution rights and marketing as director Joshy Mathew who made the children's film 'Black Forest' mentions, “I was a part of the Children's National Theatre Movement which made me decide to make a children's film but when it came to marketing my film which is based on the interaction of two urban children and a tribal boy, I found no takers. Nobody wanted to show the film in a theatre or on TV."
Another upcoming film directed by Francis Joseph titled 'Tha Thavalayude Tha' is also intended to recapture lost moments of nostalgia and bring it alive in screen. Speaking about the reasons behind making a children's film Francis says, “Today's children are missing out on a lot of enriching moments that could add value to their life. How many of us grow up listening to muttashi kathas or lores that enchant? Our fast-paced modern life does not give any time for kids to listen to tales. My story will move through a 1989-2014 era and will show the life of kids in a rustic as well as the modern era."
Francis says that finding producers for the project has not been smooth with producers shunning the film for lack of stars. Ultimately, it is a group of friends who are funding this project.
