People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, and the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
The sun etched its orange marks on that wavering water. The boat began its ferry through the back waters of Kochi. It had people who told their stories with the nerves and curves. Yes, this is the place I have been before, the fort town or the tourist spot of Cochin, Fort Cochin. But this time I am here for a stay, say a week. For the people here, this is nothing new. Every week they see new faces here.
Like many other tourist spots in India this place too share historic monuments and streets, handicraft sellers, road side tea shops, expensive textiles, antique sellers, restaurants, café and homestay. They have people who claim themselves guides, some boys who wanted to have some fun with the white skinned tourists and others, the north Indians who simply come in for a vacation. There are lovers who come for a day or two. But the men and women of Fort Cochin knows to cash the tourists really well.
They never had the curious little eyes. For them life is like a blanket too short. You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night. Marion Howard said it in the right way. They were cheerful folks. I was there for about ten days and that too for a film shooting. So what is this story all about? It’s about how a few written pages was translated to an on screen fable. It’s about how human beings emote and react, about the whole surprise a morning can bring and a whole disappointment a night wraps in it.
It all began on a Sunday when Achan was not at home and Amma was busy reading newspapers and I got a call from my friend Ram, to whom I have been speaking over phone since two years. Usually the weekends are meant to be silent and stupid with nothing to roam around. But this day everyone was busy and I am supposed to meet my friend in another two hours. We started on our bike through the busy roads of Ernakulam, with the dim lights and full moon, apartments and malls staring at us. By the time we reached the place, it was almost pitch dark. There, in one of the side way restaurants sat my good friend with his friends. The coffee table was filled with a laptop, some Gold flake cigarette packets, a blue lighter, some mobile phones which rang continuously, a bottle of coke and some empty glasses.
From there to here, it was a long wait of over two years for the release of "Thanga meenkal". And now, this moment, the wait justifies and the first look of the movie is released. It was not just a movie experience, it was a school which taught the reality of films and the people who live with it.
Here goes the first glimpse of the movie, for you watch and enjoy.
