At a time when the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka is snowballing into a major crisis, V. Kalaivendhan, a documentary film-maker, has churned out a short film titled ‘Pulam Eezham’.
Kalaivendhan had earlier won accolades for his docu-drama ‘Andhadhi’, which was about child abuse.
‘Pulam Eezham’, being produced by Zhakaram Film Corporation, dwells in detail about native Tamils, who are being driven out of their homeland by the Lankan military following the civil war. In this short film, the director talks about excruciating struggles and delves deep about the love Tamils have for their motherland. The film also brings to light the constant fear with which innocent Tamils live in the island nation.
Swetha Padmanabhan, who played prominent roles in films like ‘Malli’, ‘Terrorist’ and ‘Kutty’ will play the lead role in ‘Pulam Eezham’ as well. She is cast in the role of a young girl, who is traumatized after witnessing her father and elder sister being killed by the Sri Lankan army and hence is forced to leave her native place along with her mother and several other thousand Tamils. All of them end up at the Mandapam refugee camp in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu.
The short film then throws light on life in the refugee camp. The young girl gravitates towards an educated man who is particular on returning back to their native place where they start their lives together.
The screenplay has been designed in such a way that the young girl plants revolutionary thoughts in the hearts and minds of several thousand people like her. Eventually the film ends with her leading back about five lakh refugees who had been holed up in many refugee camps.
The timing of the documentary seems to be appropriate. According to the director, ‘it is a movie aimed at educating people about the travails of refugees at a time when the safety of civilians is under threat from the Sri Lankan army.
A major highlight about this film is that it is the first of its kind to get clearance from the Censor Board.
‘Plans are on to screen the film across the globe with the help of various Tamil associations’, Kalaivendhan said.
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