I started shooting Saira with Rs 6 lakh loan from bank: Dr Biju

Thiruvananthapuram: Dr Biju, who was present at the 21st edition of International Film Festival of Kerala with his seventh directorial venture - Kaadu Pookunna Neram, still remembers how hard it was for him to wear the hat of a film director. It was with Navya Nair-starrer Saira that Biju entered the filmdom. Biju says he had travelled around for five years with script of Saira to find a producer. "It was in 2000 that I completed my course in Homeopathy from Thiruvanantha puram and decided to venture into filmmaking, which became my passion during my studies in the capital city. In fact I had the completed script with me even then," he starts.

The director, who was practising at a clinic near his native place, utilised his salary for making journeys to meet producers. "I have travelled a lot and the only source of money for such travel was that small salary. In the meantime, my father's pension was the only other income in my family," he says, adding "it was in 2004 that I got a government job, which eventually became a turning point in my life."

In 2005, Dr Biju started the production of his film, with Rs 6 lakh that he took as loan from bank. "I got the salary certificate of three of my friends. Along with mine, I applied for loan, through which I got Rs 4 lakhs. The remaining Rs 2 lakhs was taken as gold loan. It was with this that I completed the first schedule of Saira," he says. Once he completed the first schedule he got a producer. "Radhakrishnan, who heard about my film, approached me saying that he will fund for the rest of the film. Interestingly, he was one of the producers I approached with the script years back," says the director about the film which bagged many prestigious awards.