It stays somewhere in between a television commercial and a short film. Arrived at the dawn of the New Year, New, a mini-cinema, has been lapped up by social media within the short span of just two days. Interspersed with very few dialogues in the less-than-four-minute screen time, the film progresses against the backdrop of an FM radio programme, that ends on a reminder along with refreshing the memories of Kalabhavan Mani.
“A film is looked upon as a two-hour screen with a lot many technicalities involved. New is an attempt to squeeze in those elements into a much shorter period without compromising on quality,” says Hari, who has scripted and directed the film.
Starring actor/singer Siddharth Menon and Guppy fame Chethan Jayalal in the lead, the film reminds us of the need to keep promises than chasing behind new resolutions at the start of a year.
“You’d have heard the RJs explaining the significance of number 18. We are into the year 2018 and that is when the idea of highlighting one of the most important 18’s, struck my mind, the minimum age to obtain a driving license,” says Hari.
The movie has a young man and his friend, a 16-year-old boy enjoying a long drive in a car one morning. Upon reaching a certain point, they exchange the driver’s seat. The RJing continues in the backdrop. A few seconds away from the mention of under-age driving, they land right in front of an inspection team of cops. As if by a sudden revelation, the boy puts the car to a stop, listens to the words of RJs and returns the key to his fellow traveller.
“He realises it’s unfair to flout norms for personal interests,” says Hari. He has a reason to add a bit for Kalabhavan Mani, which was not an out-of-context inclusion.
“January 1 was his birthday and it has been 18 years since be brought honours for Malayalam cinema by playing a visually-impaired singer in Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum in 1999,” he points out.
Hari, a popular VJ and short film maker, is co-scripting Ramesh Pisharody’s debut directorial Panchavarnathatha.
