During his college years at Pathanamthitta, Arjun V. used to face taunts from his classmates over his native place and the proverb Kollam Kandavanu Illam Venda (one who visits Kollam will never return home). He wanted to show them what all treasures Kollam had and now, with the song Ithu Kollam, he has unleashed it all – the attractive sights of Kollam and the life there, which has held people back in the beautiful district. The four-minute video song Neelambal Nenjoram Chaayum..., Arjun directed along with his childhood friends from Kunnikkodu, his quiet village near Kottarakkara, garnered 55,000 views in 24 hours of its release. “It’s the fifth day of release and the hits are soaring. This was beyond our dreams,” says Arjun, a short film maker.
The plan was to shoot from a tourist’s point of view. That’s when Arjun met at his gym UK-based Brandon Clarke, who was on a solo trip to Kollam. “He was here for five months and when we asked if he could act in the video, he happily agreed,” he recalls. In the video, they have featured the major highlights of the district such as the Jatayupara, Thankassery Light House, Pulimuttu, Munroe Thuruthu, Thenmala Ecotourism destination and Punalur Suspension Bridge. “Many couldn’t be included, though we shot them. But we are very happy about the outcome and the responses,” he says. The only lag came when the team had to wait for the season of boat race and Kathakali performance to wrap up the shoot, but they have no regrets.
“The six-month-wait did us good. We could get random candid visuals, which added to the charm of the video. The shot of people, bullet riders, and Aloshey, the familiar violinist on Kollam Beach, were all captured during this break,” he says.
The video, he says, is a complete Kollamkaran work. All the makers – Jassim Muhammed, who handled the music and penned the lyrics, Ansari Punalur, the cinematographer, the vocalist Muzammil Naz, and even the one who released the video, actor-turned-politician Mukesh MLA – hail from Kollam. Sharing his dream, Arjun says, “Every district should have its own anthem so that people know what they don’t know about a place and would pay a visit to experience the sights and life there. I’m happy that now people know what the proverb really means.”
