Madurai :

In the din of flamboyant film posters, a flex board installed along the busy Kamarajar Salai in Madurai fails to catch the attention of speeding motorists. But for a few, who stop over to have a glance, the board, brings an instant smile. Written in bold are the words “Hedde Jomai” (idiot son-in-law), the title of a made-in-Madurai Saurashtrian movie.

Far away from the glamour and grandeur of Kollywood – the multi-crore Tamil filmdom – a niche film industry is in its nascent stage at Madurai. Saurashtrians in the temple city who had migrated to Madurai from Gujarat three centuries back have begun making films in their mother tongue to keep their language alive and entertain the 3 lakh strong Saurashtrian people here.

So far, half-a-dozen films – family dramas, comedy, devotional and even a romance flick – have been made on a shoestring budget. The filmmakers point out that Saurashtrian language films are not even made in their native Gujarat. “We want to keep alive our identity. Though our people watch Tamil films, we always have a longing to watch a film in our mother tongue,” says V K Neelarao, director of ‘Hedde Jomai’.

The filmmakers utilise available equipment like cameras and flashguns used by professional videographers. Shooting is widely done in Madurai, while some chose to travel to places like Yercaud for outdoor shootings. The budgets are limited to less than Rs 10 lakh.

“For Hedde Jomai, besides story, screenplay, dialogues and direction, I have also penned the lyrics. The film revolves around women empowerment,” says Neelarao, a former journalist with a vernacular magazine. The film was entirely financed by his businessman son V K N Kasiviswanathan. Reluctant to reveal the budget, Neelarao, however, says that he is not after profits.

S R Ramlal, who has made two films ‘Simmasanam’ and ‘Hamsadhvani’, says that his films are mostly funded by the crowds. “None of our technicians or actors demand payment. In fact, they would also pool in money for the production,” he claims. Most of the crew and artistes are Saurashtrians, but for few exceptions,” Ramlal says. In Hedde Jomai, but for the female lead from Kerala, all are Saurashtrians from Madurai.

The films are exhibited in community halls during the association meetings and family get-togethers for an entry fee. CDs of the films sell like hotcakes in Madurai. The films are also screened in local cable channels.

K B Sivakumar, a cameraman who also dons the hat of an editor says that the content of Saurashtrian films are completely different from mainstream Tamil films. “We are not influenced by Tamil films. There will not be any resemblance,” he says.

A yarn trader, J P Appan Raj says that he went popular overnight among the Saurashrta community after he played the lead role in a film. “Everyone on the street kept gazing at me,” says Raj, who got inspired by thespian Sivaji Ganesan.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by V. Mayilvaganan, TNN / November 11th, 2013