In 2005, when the movie Athbhutha Dweepu, directed by Vinayan, was released, it made every movie buff curious. A movie that narrated the story of a kingdom where men are dwarf and women are tall, featured a group of dwarf men, who are otherwise not much featured in mainstream cinema. Actor Ajayan (Pakru) who appeared as Gajendra, the dwarf prince, even set a record as the shortest actor to play a full-length character in a film.
Fast forward to 13 years, another movie with a rare cast is getting ready to see daylight. Mounaksharangal, written and directed by Devadas Kallurutty, features more than 100 deaf and mute artistes. Interestingly, on reel life, Devadas has given the artistes a life they yearn for in real life. “In the movie, their characters speak. We have dubbed for them. It will be like watching any other movie,” says Devadas, who has been in the field for the past 18 years. “I have done documentaries, short films and home cinemas so far. This is my first attempt in feature film,” he says.
Devadas says, initially, he had plans to take Mounaksharangal as a short movie. “This idea had been on my mind for the past eight years. It struck me after I met a few deaf and mute persons, who expressed their desire to act in movies, but couldn’t get into the industry due to their shortcomings. I once mentioned the idea to my mentor, but he too said it would be difficult making them act,” says Devadas. “Even I was a bit doubtful whether I would be able to pull it off while doing the short film. However, the actors surprised me with their talent and interest to do it. They were so good on screen that I decided to develop it as a feature film.”
The script of the short film had only a few characters. Devadas expanded the canvas to accommodate more persons. They held auditions to find out talents. “We got in touch with a few people who associate with organisations that work for deaf and mute persons. Members of Thamarassery Regional Deaf Centre and Rahmania College of Kozhikode Medical College are there in the project.”
Before the shooting, the actors were given six-month training in acting. “We had to teach them the basics of acting and lip syncing. Their lips should move according to the
dialogue,” says the director. The shooting was completed in four months in Kozhikode and Palakkad. It was a challenging task, says Devadas. He sought help from Haseena Mayanad and Usman, trainers of disabled persons, to communicate his ideas to the actors.“I would tell the trainers my ideas. They, through sign language, would convey it to the actors. That was the format,” he says. “I told the actors that they need not be worried about their disabilities while facing the camera,” he adds.
The lead characters are done by Sreelekshmi and Asif Erattupetta. “It is the story of a mother who tries to teach her daughter music. Sreelekshmi’s mother, who is also deaf and mute, played her mother’s role in the movie,” he says. Editing and cinematography are by Rajeev Kauthukam. The film is expected to hit theatres in December. “I am happy to work with them. This project let me understand their life. I felt I should have done it long back,” concludes the director.
