Kaanthaa by Yakob

A middle aged man rushed through the hospital corridor with a small boy in his hands. His wife ran after him as fast as she could while trying to wipe the tears all along.  The boy was having high fever and shivering wildly.  People moved aside making way for the couple as they pushed forward through the crowd of bystanders and patients to reach the doctor. The man stopped only when he was inside the doctor’s room and an injection and a pill later, the man remembered the faces of the people he had rushed across. Almost everyone had a look of surprise or a wry smile on their faces. It was then that the woman looked at him and pointed it out. He had shaving foam stuck to his cheeks as he had rushed to the hospital amidst cleaning up his beard. They had a slight chuckle looking at each other as the small boy came to his senses and looked at them with confusion. The boy did not understand where he was or why his dad had shaving foam across one of his cheeks. The nurse came in and called out the boy’s name – Arun K. Yes, the small boy was me and I cannot hold back from being happy and proud about my parents and especially my dad who has supported me unconditionally so far in every decision that I have taken.

While growing up, I had slowly recognized his passion for arts and had even heard mention about his involvement in theater arts as a young man. I realized that my dad did love the spotlight and probably loved to act. Maybe he did not have the same zeal as a full blooded young man but one could not deny the excitement he carried within. I somehow ended up quitting my engineering studies and even my corporate life to madly pursue my passion in films. He was proud to see me doing what I liked and has always spurred me on in silence. There has never been an instance when he pointed a finger at the choice I made.  So, I felt it was my turn to make it up to him in my own small way, using my skillset. Initially, I had thought out about a short film about an old man who looks at life positively. There was no script as I felt my old man would be hard to direct given the fact that he hates being dominated or told what to do. I discussed the idea with my first choice cameraman, Chandrakanth, who is more like a younger brother and one of the most innovative individual I know both creatively and technically that I have ever seen. He also shared a good rapport with my dad with the countless visits to my house and so, readily agreed to come on board as the cinematographer.

The idea was simple and complex at the same time to be honest. We decided to start filming random sequences from his real life and then stitch the story around it. Quite radical and challenging but exciting at the same time.  It was sheer coincidence that there was a temple festival or pooram as we call it here in our state, at his birth place. We travelled with him and had a real interesting and fun time getting some visuals. The whole visual train was supposed to go in as a montage in the short film and I was happy to let the wonderful and colorful visuals rest until we had the whole work ready to edit. I share a quite transparent relationship with Chandrakanth and trust his judgement and value his opinions.

It was during this time that yet another junior from college, Simeon, got in touch with us. Life in Dubai probably did not appeal to him and I think he had his calling to return home and pursue his passion in music.  We initially started off with random discussions on music and my love for drumming while in college had connected me instantly with him back then.  Simeon was also a drummer for the college band while he was studying there.  Long story short, we shared a good rapport and a healthy respect for each other.  I personally believe that mutual respect is one of the most essential ingredients for a creative spark in an association. So, the initial idea was to shoot a music video with the college dance troupes of past and present and we hoped to present it as a tribute to our Alma Mater, CET – College of Engineering Trivandrum). Well, we had talks with some of the present students and work was slowly gaining momentum when Simeon came up with a new mix he had created. The song was a popular folk song and his magic had elevated the feel of the song to new dizzying levels. I instantly fell in love with it but the idea for the music video came from the genius mind of Chandrakanth.  He suggested about using the visuals we shot for the pooram, to go with the song.  To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive at first but trusted his judgement blindly and decided to go ahead with it.

Kaantha is the final product of this blind and strong mutual trust and respect between 3 individuals who are as varied as they can be in their characters but who are all connected in their commitment to their passions.  It was consistent and literally back breaking work for Chandrakanth who battled with the rushes for past 3 days as he took on the mantle of editor too and the final product is all set to see the light of the day in a few minutes time. I thank him for his dedication and fierce work ethics which saw a young musicians dream get realized today. I am just happy to offer the visuals for the video and see the smile on my dad’s face when he sees himself on the screen.

At the end of the day, we are all here for a short while and a smile on someone else’s face holds more value on this auspicious day than any material possession. So, this video is a tribute to my dad who has patiently supported me and to Simeon who took the plunge to stay connected with his passion and to Chandrakanth, who supports me unconditionally in everything I do and who is the most committed guy I have seen on a working environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpVpeZG2EsQ