“This machine’s social relevance and impact on society is huge. Our ancestors walked by foot or used bullock carts to reach from one point to another. With cycle came the freedom to move, commute, and explore the world. It’s a symbol of revolution, especially for the oppressed,” explains Kamalakannan, overjoyed with the selection. “This is a big achievement. The film will now do the festival circuit in Goa, Kerala and Chennai and hopefully at international film festivals too. To feature among the top 20 films like KGF, RRR and Jai Bhim is a great recognition for our team.”
This film, based on Rasi Alagappan’s short story Cycle, is set in the summer of 1980s. “I developed the script and screenplay along with Prabahakar Shanmugam. Mostly shot at villages in and around Komaraplayam, Kaikolapalayam, Kaveripatty and Ketheri near Karur, we recreated cycle shops, a must in villages in the 1980s, where people could hire the cycle on rental basis. The cycle shop owners wielded power and had a say on important decisions made in the village, almost like a power centre.”
In Kurangu Pedal, a school boy wants to learn to ride a cycle while his father is unable to teach him. “It’s a slice of emotions and innocence of childhood, served with nostalgia through the eyes of children. It ultimately shows what the boy gains from the experience. Children receive art in its purest form and they will enjoy this film.”
“It is important that children’s films showcase their innocence,” says Kamal who has conducted two children’s film festivals in Coimbatore and one in Erode before making films like Madhubaanakadai and Vattam.
S Kamalakannan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The film is produced by Savitha Kamalakannan, and Sumee Baskaran of Montage Productions along with Sanjay Jayakumar of SRJ Productions and Katha Kelu Entertainment. Says Savitha, “At the Children Film Festival, we showed films made by Iranian film makers like Majid Majidi, Japanese masters, Satyajit Ray, and Korean films like Way Home. These films are refreshing as they teach life’s lessons using small day-to-day incidents and the emotions make an instant connect. We wanted to recreate a classic for children, showcasing our sensibilities. Most Indian films made for children show them as superheroes, and have an unrealistic approach.”
Talking about children, Kamalakannan says they consume visual content on mobile phones unaware of what is good and bad. “It is our responsibility to expose them to good content. There is information pollution and no one can control it. But, children should be aware of what is right and wrong in film language, be it porn or religious fanaticism. Film appreciation has to be introduced, especially in school curriculum. Though the Tamil Nadu Government has started screening classics at Government Schools, we still have a long way to go.”
A still from the film
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Five main characters played by children take the narration forward. “Finding the right cast was a big task,” recalls Kamal as they wanted children with good stamina as well as acting sensibilities. After visiting several dance schools and centres that teach martial arts at Thiruvannamalai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Erode, they zeroed in on five main actors from a batch of 40 children at Kalaithaai Arakkattalai in Erode. “Teaching them cinema, how to emote, speak dialogues, close up shots and getting them involved in the creative process was challenging. They would start fighting in the middle of shoot,” laughs Kamal.
“The film will take you back to your childhood,” says cinematographer Sumee Baskaran. “The rising hills, greenery, and sand instantly set the tone of summer for the film, the kodai kaalam where the story unfolds. Father-son squabbles where the father becomes hero and villain at the same time for the son is something anyone can connect to. The camera is set at the eye level of children in all shots, as after all it’s their point of view.”
