Kottachi’s short film Vizhudhu wins critical acclaim

The five-and-a-half-minute film directed by Kottachi features him in the lead role alongside his daughter Manasvi. Vizhudhu has dialogues by MS Bhaskar. “The film is about how people have been struggling financially during lockdown. Not everyone has money in their accounts to meet their needs. They call people for help, who may or may not help them. However, even a small contribution would be a huge help for them. That is what Vizhudhu talks about. In the movie I couldn’t offer someone who asks me for help. My daughter who has been watching me talking on phone comes forward and willingly offers them the money she has in her piggy bank. It is how a banyan tree grows from an aerial root and offers shadow to a lot of people. This is the reason behind why the film was titled Vizhudhu,” he tells DT Next.

Kottachi says that he shot the film using a basic camera. “Manasvi has learnt to operate DSLR cameras and it was she who helped me in directing the film. The idea came to me after my wife saw one of the WhatsApp messages I had received this lockdown. She translated the message that was in English. The person had asked me for monetary help, which triggered the film’s one-liner,” he adds.