Shevlin Sebastian's Blog, page 54

Cuffed By A Cop

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Making It As Real As Possible

Production designer Santhosh Raman, who won the National Award for the Mollywood film, 'Take Off', talks about his work
Photos: Santhosh Raman; the unused godown; the recreated Tikrit Hospital
By Shevlin Sebastian
When production designer Santhosh Raman stepped into an unused godown at Kochi, he felt depressed. The floor was littered with small pieces of paper and leaves, apart from a layer of dust. The paint was peeling from the walls. Below the asbestos roof, on a bar, hung two sheets of canvas.
But time was running out. For the Malayalam film, 'Take Off', the initial designer had moved away. So producer Anto Joseph approached Santhosh. The latter had to read the script quickly and was given only 20 days for pre-production work.
Since a major portion of the film was located at the Tikrit Hospital in Iraq, he needed to recreate it. The many unused hospitals in the state that he had visited turned out to be unsuitable. “I decided to go ahead in transforming the godown,” he says. It helped that in his many travels in West Asia, Santhosh had seen many hospitals. So, he knew what they looked like. Also, director Mahesh Narayanan had shared his research material.
In the end, when 'Take Off' was released, all the viewers assumed that the hospital scenes were shot in an actual building in Iraq because it looked so realistic. It was only when Santhosh released photos of the godown along with the hospital images on social media that people realised that he had done a remarkable transformation.
Many people were impressed including the jury of the National Film Awards, which was headed by noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. Santhosh won the Best Production Design award for 'Take Off', along with a cash prize of Rs 50,000. “The last time Mollywood won in the same category was 22 years ago when Sabu Cyril took the award for 'Kaalapani',” says Santhosh. “So I am happy to be the first in the 21st century.”
Director Mahesh is not surprised. “Santhosh has a good sense of aesthetics and worked very well with cinematographer Sanu John Varghese,” he says. “He also knows how to work within a limited budget.”
Thus far, Santhosh has worked in 40 films. In fact, he has just completed the Lucknow schedule for an untitled film starring the current heartthrob Tovino Thomas and veteran actress Urvashi. Two other films on which he has worked on are about to be released in June. They include Balachandran Menon's 'Ennalum Sarath', as well as Mammootty's 'Abrahaminte Santhathikal'.
Santhosh grew up in Thalassery, and did his bachelor's degree from the College of Fine Arts, Thrissur, before he drifted into films. “For me, the focus has always been art,” says the Kozhikode-based technician. “I was influenced by the films of Bharathan (1946-98). The National Award is an inspiration to push the bar even higher.” 
(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)

It's Never Too Late

At the age of 54, GM Antony, who runs a small roadside tea shop, at Kochi, has won his first national weightlifting gold medal
Photos: GM Antony--photos by Albin Mathew; the tea shop 
By Shevlin Sebastian
When GM Antony enters the Ernakulam gym at Kochi, on a summer evening, a young man greets him by saying, “Hi, old man, how are you?”
The 54-year-old, with silver hair and moustache, smiles, as he moves to one side and changes into his gear: a T-shirt and shorts.
He steps on a mat and stands still. Then he turns his head clockwise as well as anti-clockwise. Thereafter, he stretches his arms and legs. Finally, he lies down on a bench. A fellow weightlifter put some weights on a rod. Antony takes a deep breath and lifts it. The weight: 120 kgs.
“I come every evening at 4 p.m., and train for two hours,” he says. And the hard work has borne results.
In early April, Antony won a gold medal in the 50 plus age group (105 kgs category) in the National Masters Games held at Chandigarh. This win was achieved through the guidance of M. Raveendranathan, a former Sports Authority of India coach. “Antony has a nice mix of natural talent and correct technique,” says Raveendranathan.
But the road to participation was paved with jagged stones. Since he earns a living by running a tea shop the father-of-two did not have enough money. “I got a contribution of Rs 2000 from the gym,” says Anthony. “Friends also contributed. One friend said, 'Antony, this is for your one-day's food bill,' and gave me Rs 300.”
This was Antony's first visit to North India. At the event, his inexperience became evident. He wore a shirt and lungi, as he stood near the weights. A Punjabi weightlifter asked sarcastically, “Are you a weightlifter?”
Antony became upset. “I knew he was being sarcastic,” he says.
However, this comment was overheard by members of the Tamil Nadu team. “One of them gave me a track pant,” says Antony. Then Raveendranathan suggested that they should buy a T-shirt. So they bought a green one and had the word 'Kerala' printed in white letters across it.
Through his win, Antony has now been selected to take part in the Asian Masters' championships which will be held at Kuala Lumpur in September. “But the cost will be Rs 60,000,” says Antony. “I cannot participate without sponsorship.”
So far, he has not had any luck. But Antony is not discouraged. “I have had a hard life,” he says, and elaborates. “When I was six years old, I got the shock of my life when my father abandoned our family and got married to another woman. Because there was no money in the house, I started working as a helper in a hotel at Kochi.”
One day, when was 15 years old, as he was walking past the Ernakulam Gym he glanced inside and became fascinated by the weightlifters. With the help of a senior waiter, Ayyappan, he was able to become a member. “Coach Ramanathan gave me the right training,” he says.
Soon, Antony began to win district and state awards. Life went on until he got married on September 10, 1995. “To make ends meet, I opened a roadside tea shop and discovered that I had no time,” he says. “I started work at 6 a.m. and closed the shop at 8 p.m. So I stopped weightlifting.” But within a few years, he developed a paunch and began to suffer from varicose veins on his legs. But when the doctor told Antony that he could get cured if he started exercising, he began doing weightlifting again.
So, once again, Antony began to win veterans’ events in the state. While the future does not look financially rosy, in terms of his sports career, Antony does not mind. “I have realised that I am the happiest when I am in the gym,” he says, with a smile.
The Tea Shop
What is interesting about Antony's tea-shop is the front of the shop is lined with several English and Malayalam magazines as well as newspapers. “You will be interested to know that the Sunday Magazine of The New Indian Express is very popular,” he says.
His customers include staff from the nearby Kerala High Court, policemen from a nearby station as well as office-goers and auto rickshaw drivers. Antony sells tea, coffee, bananas, samosas and idlis.
His Children
Even though weightlifter GM Antony could not have an education, he has ensured that his children have all the opportunities. Son Ebin is in Class 11, while daughter Ann Mary has just completed her Plus Two. Wife Mallika is a home-maker. 
(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)

Fort Kochi Native Recalls His Participation In Anthony Bourdain's Food Show

By Shevlin Sebastian 
Photos: Anthony Bourdain; Adrian 'Jackie' D'Cruz

When the news began to filter online that famed chef Anthony Bourdain had committed suicide at the age of 61, on June 8, one man who was profoundly shocked was Fort Kochi native Adrian 'Jackie' D'Cruz. That's because Jackie took part in Anthony's food show, 'No Reservations' at Kochi in 2010. 


“The people at Travel and Living Channel, which used to run Anthony's show got in touch with me through a New York family connection,” says Jackie. Somebody had given them the idea of doing a show regarding dosas. But when Jackie spoke to the production manager he told him that it won't be too exciting sitting down and eating a dosa. “So I suggested a meal at a thattukada,” says Jackie. 


The producer agreed. Soon the crew flew down to Kochi. And Jackie met Anthony just before the shoot. “I have been watching Anthony's show for many years,” says Jackie. “So I felt a bit nervous. But within a minute we became the best of friends.” 


They sauntered down and sat on plastic chairs at a thattukada just opposite the Medical Trust Hospital. Soon, Anthony tasted everything: parathas, peas curry, beef fry, sardines, quails and mackerels. 


The highlight, for Jackie, was when Anthony ate the mackerel and said, “Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and that's how fish should be done.” 


Then Anthony inquired about Jackie's Portuguese origin. Jackie then explained how the Portuguese curry sauce and tapioca had now become a permanent part of Kerala's cuisine. 


Asked about his personality, Jackie says, “At 6'5” he was larger than life. He was a down-to-earth person despite his fame. Anthony had a natural charm, and simplicity. He was also very outgoing and positive-minded.” 


So, for Jackie, Anthony was the last person in the world who would have committed suicide. “But then we never know what happens in the psyche of a human being.”


Jackie paused and said, “Rest in Peace Anthony.” 

(The New Indian Express, Kerala editions)

The Man Who Still Casts A Spell

Having just completed 35 years, Magician Samraj looks back at his life and career
By Shevlin Sebastian
At the Pangode military camp, in Thiruvananthapuram, the audience watched with bated breath as Magician Samraj said that he would blow up a box which contained a girl, Revathi (name changed) by using a time bomb.

But unknown to him, when the time came to use the bomb, because of a miscommunication, Revathi had not left the box. ‘So, when the bomb burst, there was a scream,” says Samraj, who has just completed 35 years as a magician. “We dropped the stage curtain. And when we opened the box, we saw that Revathi was soaked with blood. She was immediately rushed to the hospital.”

But Samraj could not stop the show. Instead, after a few minutes, he appeared on stage and said, “Okay where are we now? The next item is Standing Lady Illusion.”

Thankfully, the girl survived. “Today, she is happily married with two children,” says Samraj.

In a two-and-a-half-hour programme, there will be many mistakes. “But I have to make sure that the audience is not aware of these mistakes,” says Samraj. “This comes from experience.”

Once, during a show at Changanacherry, Samraj was moving towards the stage when his face hit something and he began bleeding. “But I went to the stage and the people thought that this was all part of the item regarding a ghost,” he says, with a smile.

Thus far, Samraj has done over 8000 performances, with the help of a 30 member troupe which includes his wife and two sons. 
Asked the qualities needed to be a good magician, he says, “A magician should be a very good actor. We produce and are able to disappear many items. To do this successfully, you have to be confident and have the ability to distract the audience with our actions. Secondly, you must never be nervous, no matter what happens.”

Asked his strong point, Samraj says simply, “I am a story-teller. And most magicians aren't.”

And he gives an example. One show is called the Tragic End of The Titanic. Very early in the act, an actual ship enters the stage. There is a magician called Robert Samraj from Athens who is performing for the guests on the Titanic. Soon, through visuals, the ship hits an iceberg and sinks. “The magician also dies,” says Samraj. “But his soul is wandering about. Wherever a magic show is taking place, his soul is present.”

Suddenly a coffin appears on the stage. It contains Robert's body. But when the coffin is opened, it is a skeleton. Then the coffin is put up in a standing position. The coffin is closed. Then slowly, a shadow appears, the coffin shatters and the real Samraj comes out of the coffin.

“All this is done, accompanied by high-decibel music,” says Samraj.

An early fascination

When Samraj was seven years old, a street magician came to the Govt. L.P. School, at Mullikulangara where he studied. “He showed an empty Bournvita can, put some sand in it, closed the can, then opened it and pulled out green grapes,” says the 62-year-old Samraj. “I ate it. I thought it would be plastic. I was stunned. How did he do it?”

He could not sleep at night trying to figure out how it was done. On the third day, Samraj got the answer. “I made a tin and did the same magic,” he says. “That was how I came to be regarded as Junior Mandrake.”

When he told his parents that he wanted to be a magician, his mother gave him a slap and told him to concentrate on his studies. So he forgot about magic. But when he went to Mumbai, for a job, years later, at Malad station, he saw a street-side magician doing a show.

After it was over, Samraj asked the magician, “Can you teach me?”

He said, “No.”

Samraj said, “Please.”

He asked Samraj whether he had any money.

Samraj replied, “Rs 25.”

So he took it and told Samraj to come the next evening at Platform No. 2 at Mahim station. “I felt very happy,” says Samraj. “However, the next day when I went to Mahim station, he did not come. So, in the end, he cheated me. But now I appreciate him.”

Because after every programme today, there will be at least 25 children and parents who approach Samraj to teach them magic. “So I could have easily told them, 'Give me Rs 250 or Rs 500 or Rs 1000',” he says. “And they would be ready to pay me. But would they learn the art? They can learn but they cannot perform it.  So, what the street magician did to me was absolutely right.”

Anyway, in 1982, Samraj got a job as a civil engineer in a company at Muscat. Soon he heard that there was a plumber by the name of Kutty who was also a magician.

“He had learnt his tricks from Vazhakunnam Neelakanthan Namboothiri or Prof. Vazhakkunnam (1903–1983) who is known as the Grandfather of Kerala Magic,” he says. Samraj learnt the tricks from Kutty and set out on his magic carpet journey which continues to this day...  
(The New Indian Express, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode)

Rolling Down A Slope

COLUMN: LOCATION DIARY
Actor Parvitii Nair talks about her experiences in the films, ‘Overtake’, 'Neerali', 'Yennai Arindhaal' and 'Vascodigama'
By Shevlin Sebastian
For a scene in the film, ‘Overtake’ (2017), actor Parvatii Nair was sitting inside a Mercedes Benz in Bellary, Karnataka. The car was being driven by Vijay Babu. Suddenly, Parvatii discovered that her seat belt was stuck. She told Vijay. He stopped the vehicle and got out to get some help.
Unfortunately, he forgot to put the car in first gear. It was on top of a slope on a narrow road. The car began to roll backwards. Since it was supposed to be a long shot, the crew was at some distance away.
“When I looked back, I saw a lorry coming up the road,” says Parvatii. “There were forests on both sides. I began to panic. Because of the stuck seat-belt, I could not move from my seat and use my legs to press the brakes. I just had a couple of seconds to do something.”
The car was gathering speed. The lorry driver stopped and watched the scene, as if in slow motion. A desperate Parvathii reached out and grabbed the steering wheel and turned it hard to one side. The car veered off the road and went bumping up the grassy verge and came to a stop. “I was breathing so fast, but thankfully, nothing bad happened,” she says. Soon, the lorry driver went up the slope and waved his appreciation to Parvathii.
“Later, Vijay apologised to me profusely,” says a smiling Parvatii.
Parvathii had a lot to smile about on the sets of 'Neerali'. 
That was because she was working with Mohanlal. “Sir is somebody who is always cracking jokes,” she says. “That keeps the set in a relaxed mood and we are able to do our best work.”
One day, she was pressing the numbers on her mobile phone, when Mohanlal said, “Who are you calling?”
“My mother,” said Parvathii.
“Okay, pass the phone to me, after you have talked a bit,” said Mohanlal.
Parvathii nodded. After a while, she told her mother, “Amma, somebody wants to talk to you.”
Mohanlal took the phone and said, “Hello Madam, how are you? Your daughter is doing very well.”
But it took a while before Parvathii’s mother figured out that it was Mohanlal.
“Mohanlal Sir’s accent is so distinctive and everybody has heard it so some many times,” says Parvathii. “My mother, who is a fan, was thrilled.”
Once Parvathii herself got a call, out of the blue, when she was shooting for an ad film for Mollywood director VK Prakash at a bungalow in Bangalore. “The caller said that I had been cast in Kamal Hasan’s film ‘Uttama Villain’ (2015). The caller said I would be paired with the person who would be playing Kamal Hasan's son in the film.” 
Parvathii could not believe it. She thought it was a prank call. So she said, “Rubbish,” and cut the call.
But then she began to have doubts. “So I asked Prakash Sir,” says Parvathii. “He confirmed that Kamal Hasan was doing a film by that name. The surprising aspect was that when Prakash Sir told me the film was going to be shot in the same house where I was doing the ad.”
So Parvathii immediately called back and came to know that it was Kamal Hasan’s manager who had called her. She apologised and got the role. “I was thrilled,” she says. 
Parvathii was also thrilled on the sets of 'Yennai Arindhaal' (2015). Tamil star Ajith played the hero but even before Parvathii could be introduced, the first scene was shot inside a car. Parvathii sat next to Ajith while Arun Vijay sat at the back. “To show that all three of us were grooving with each other, Ajith did a 360 degree turn in a car,” says Parvathii. “That made me laugh with nervousness.”
Soon, after the shot was okayed, the star shook Parvathii's hand and said, “Hi, I am Ajith.” Parvatii laughed again. 
Just as there are good, there have been sad moments, too, on the set. The Kannada film 'Vascodigama' (2015) was a college film, so many extras acted as students and lecturers. The shoot was at the KVJ College, Kurunjibhag, Sullia. Parvathii saw some crew members being rude to the extras.
“I always smile at the extras,” she says. “Sometimes I have a chat with them.”
There was a scene in the rain. While the actors got umbrellas the extras stood in the rain getting wet. There were many boys and one solitary girl, Renu (name changed). So Parvathii called out to her to come and take shelter under her umbrella. The girl was reluctant but eventually, she came.
Then Renu started talking about her life. “Her father was ill and the family had no money,” says Paravthii. “She was getting paid Rs 300 per day. Sometimes, she told me, they don’t even get paid. The agency takes away all the money. In contrast, I remember, when we were shooting a film in Goa, there were a few foreigners who were taken as extras. They were paid Rs 4000 per day. So I felt bad for Renu.” 
(The New Indian Express, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode)

Getting Mentally And Physically Healed

Many Yazidi women who had been sexually assaulted by ISIS (the Islamic State and The Levant) fighters have been coming to the Art of Living centre in Bengaluru to attend meditation programmes
Photos: Bhanumathi Narasimhan. Photo by V. Pushkar; Placards in support of the Yazidi women
By Shevlin Sebastian

Basra woke up with a start. She was breathing heavily. The room was in darkness even though it was 5 a.m. at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living headquarters in Bengaluru. An image passed through her mind: a bearded man slapping her repeatedly across her face. Quickly, Basra shook her head and got up.

At 6 a.m., she, along with a group of Yazidi women, from the Sinjar mountains in Iraq made their way to a hall. Teacher Puravi Hegde greeted them with a smile. They sat cross-legged on the floor and closed their eyes. Puravi says, “Gurudev Sri Sri says, 'Our breath is linked to our emotions. For every emotion, there is a particular rhythm in the breath. With the help of one's breath, you can harness your emotions.”

Thanks to the initiative taken by Bhanumathi Narasimhan, the younger sister of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who oversees the organisation's Women's Empowerment and Child Welfare projects, Basra and Parveen and a few others had come to attend a ten-day healing programme. This consisted of yoga, meditation and the Sudarshan Kriya, a rhythmic breathing technique that harmonises the mind and body.

“These sessions had a big impact on them,” says Bhanumathi. “Many said they began to experience an inner healing. They were able to sleep for the first time after a long interval.”

In February, a group of Yazidi women had come to attend the International Women's Conference which was held at the Art of Living headquarters in Bengaluru.

A victim Parveen recounted her experience. “The ISIS came at midnight to our village,” she says. “There were 44 members of my family. Many of the men were shot dead. The women and children were taken to a hall. But the pretty girls among us were given to the fighters in different places as sex slaves. We were raped and raped, as much as fifty times.” Today, her entire family has been wiped out except for a cousin.

“When Parveen recounted her suffering, there was not a single dry eye among the audience,” says Bhanumathi. Incidentally, the Twitter tagline for the conference was #BringBackOurGirls #YazidiGirlsMatter.

As Bhanumathi talks her eyes become pools of sadness. “Think of this,” she says. “In the 14th century, there were 23 million Yazidis. But after centuries of persecution, they have been reduced to one million. And now, the Yazidi women have gone through unspeakably horrible experiences.”

The ISIS fighters massacred the community to destroy all anti-Islamic influences. The community follows a religion which is a syncretism of various religions like Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

It was in 2014 that Bhanumathi first came across the Yazidi women when a team had gone to meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at Chicago. “The community had heard that the Art of Living had been doing meditation and trauma-healing programmes in Iraq,” says Bhanumathi. “They asked Gurudev to help the Yazidi girls, and he said yes immediately.”

At the Chicago centre, there was a big lamp with a peacock symbol. “They told us that they also worship the fire and the peacock,” says Bhanumathi. In fact, the Yazidis believe that God had placed the world in the care of seven holy beings or angels, the chief of whom is Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar instructed many teachers in Iraq to provide help to the Yazidi girls. Thereafter, in 2016, 27 Yazidi women, between the ages of 22 and 40, came to Bengaluru to receive training. “They promised that they would go back and help the others,” says Bhanumathi. Ever since a steady stream of Yazidi women have been coming to the Centre for training.

“We will carry on doing as much as possible to bring healing to the community,” says Bhanumathi. “Gurudev has repeatedly said we should strive for peace and happiness in every nook and corner of the world.” 
(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and New Delhi)

Falling Against A Rod

COLUMN: LOCATION DIARY
Actor Pauly Valson talks about her experiences in the films, Ee.Ma.Yau., ‘Beautiful’, and ‘Iyobinthe Pushtakam’
Photos: Polly Valsan. Photo by Melton Antony. The climatic scene in Ee.Ma.Yau
By Shevlin Sebastian
In Ee.Ma.Yau. (2018), in the climax scene, Eeshi (Chemban Vinod) realises that he cannot bury his father Vavachan Mesthri in the cemetery because of the local priest's suspicion that Vavachan’s death is a murder. So, Eeshi decides to take matters into his own hands. At his house in Chellanam, on a day when it is raining heavily, with the villagers gathered around, wondering about the impasse, Chemban decides to bury his father in the courtyard.

As the people realise this, they are shocked and dismayed. So also is his mother Pennamma, played by Pauly Valsan. She rushes out of the house, towards Chemban, screaming, “No son, no, what are you doing?”
But Chemban is in such a rage, that he pushes Pauly away.
“I lost my balance and the back of my head hit an iron rod which was protruding from a pandal which had been put up,” says Pauly. “I shouted, 'Amma' very loudly, but since it was a scene where there was so much of noise, nobody heard me. And I fainted.”
But director Lijo Jose Pelisserry noticed the mishap through the camera lens. He came running up and said, “Are you okay?” By this time, Pauly had regained consciousness. So Pauly said she was okay and there was nothing to worry about. “It was such an important scene that shooting needed to go on,” says Pauly. “Taking part in this climax was one of the most unforgettable moments of my career.”
Incidentally, Pauly won the Kerala State Award for Best Actress in a character role for this film.
There was also intense drama during the shoot of 'Beautiful' (2011), in which Pauly played a maidservant. At that time, she was also a lead character in a play. One day, at 7 a.m., she went to the set at Kalamaserry. She had one scene to shoot. That night, at 9.30 p.m., there would be a drama performance at Adoor. Pauly thought that she would have enough time to shoot her scene and proceed to Adoor, 125 kms away. But the whole day, director VK Prakash did not call her.
Pauly began to feel panicky. “If I did not reach the hall at Adoor, on time, the audience would start throwing stones,” she says. “So, I decided to slip away.”
She went to the gate. There was a watchman. However, he belonged to the film crew.
The watchman asked Pauly what had happened. So, she told him her dilemma. “He asked whether I had acted in an earlier scene,” says Pauly. “I said yes. Then he said, 'I cannot allow you to leave because the continuity of the scenes will be spoiled'.”
So Pauly returned to the set and began giving worried looks to Prakash. Then her eyes filled up. The production controller recognised her predicament. He told the director, “Prakash Sir please shoot the scene. Pauly Chechi is going through a lot of tension.”
So, the scene was shot. But by this time, it was 6.30 p.m. So, she immediately set out in a taxi. But on the highway, there were several traffic jams. “I knew there was little chance I could make it on time,” she says. “When I reached Kottayam it was already 9.30 pm. Till this time, the troupe members kept calling me. But after that, the calls stopped.”
Anyway, Pauly carried on. By the time, she reached the venue, it was 11 pm. And what she saw astonished her. The entire ground was under water. Apparently a severe storm had hit the area. It rained so hard that the organisers had no option but to cancel the show. “God saved me,” she says, with a beaming smile at her home in the Vypeen islands. “It was a miracle. Anyway, then and there I decided I cannot have two careers: films as well as theatre. So I stopped theatre. Now I only do films.” Till date, Pauly has acted in 45 films.
For Iyobinthe Pushtakam (2014), the shooting was in Vagamon. Since there was no vehicle that the production team could send to collect Pauly from Ernakulam, they asked her to come to Errattupetta. And they said they would arrange for Pauly to be picked up. “But when I reached Erattupetta, it was 8 pm. And I just missed the last bus to Vagamon,” says Pauly. “She called the production controller who asked her to take an auto-rickshaw. If he sent a car, it would take too much time.”
So she hired one. They began travelling. After 45 minutes, they were still travelling. It was dark all around. Pauly began to get nervous.
She rang up the production controller and scolded him for making her come all alone. “But since the driver was a good man, he took me safely,” says Pauly. “It is not easy to be a woman actress. Because of the nature of the job, I have to travel alone to many locations. But God has always protected me.” 
(The New Indian Express, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode) 

The Wonderful Elixir

Aby Baby runs the only donkey farm in Kerala. The products that he makes from the milk is vitamin-rich, good for skin problems, and is an anti-oxidant
Photos: Aby Baby at his farm; Queen Cleopatra
By Shevlin Sebastian
At the donkey farm at Ramamangalam (30 kms from Kochi), a jenny had given birth. But the foal fell into a small pit. It was bleating pitifully. But when worker Mohanan was about to step forward, to lift the foal, the jenny let out a hiss. But Mohanan ignored the sound. Suddenly, the jenny turned around and gave such a hard kick that Mohanan lay sprawled on the ground. For good measure, he bit the worker on the arm. Mohanan got up and fled.
Owner Aby Baby smiles as he recounts the incident. “To protect its foal, a jenny can become ferocious,” he says.
Aby knows donkeys well. He is the owner of a two-acre farm which has twenty jennies and a foal. A male donkey (ass) died recently. Every day, he gets half a litre of milk from three jennies. When he gets six litres, he gets it freeze-dried.
Through this method, the milk is frozen to minus 40 degrees centigrade. During this process, the water is removed. The end result is a powder, with which he makes skin and cosmetic lotions, under the brand name of Dolphin IBA.
“Because the freeze-drying process is very expensive, my products, about 40 grams, have a starting price of Rs. 1920,” he says.
There is a belief that donkey's milk can cure skin problems. One who has had a positive experience is the Hyderabad-based home-maker Sweetie Paul. For four years, her eight-year-old daughter Selah suffered from lichen planus (a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin).“I would get calls from the school saying that Selah was not able to concentrate because of itching,” says Sweetie. “We consulted many doctors in Hyderabad but there was no cure.” 
Through her dad, who lives in Kochi, Sweetie came to know about the donkey ointment. She started applying it on her daughter, in January, this year. “Within three months, Selah's itching has stopped,” says Sweetie. “And her skin is 60 per cent back to normal.
Another happy customer is Aji K. Jacob, 47, who works as an office staff at a school in Kottayam district. He suffered for many years from keloids (a scar on the skin that causes excessive itching). “I tried many ointments but there was no cure,” he says. “By accident I came to know of Aby's products and began using them. After three weeks, my itchiness has completely gone. Now I can function as a normal human being.”
Dr (Maj.) Sudheesh S. Nair (Retd.), who worked with mules in the Army and is now an Assistant Professor in Surgery at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, says, “Donkey's milk cures skin problems because it has a lot of vitamins like A, B, C, D, E, B12, as well as a high protein content.”
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation says donkey milk has 'particular nutritional benefits'.
In history too, donkey's milk was used regularly. Egyptian Queen Cleopatra took baths in donkey milk to preserve her beauty and youth. But the milk of about 700 donkeys was needed to fill her bath. Hippocrates, who is regarded as the father of medicine, was among the first to write about the benefits of donkey milk.
Meanwhile, back at his farm, Aby remains fascinated by donkeys. “They all have individual characters,” he says. “Some are moody, a few are always angry and use their kicks powerfully, a couple of them are introverted and stay away from the crowd, just like human beings.”These Indian breeds, which he bought from different parts of Tamil Nadu, range in age from three to eight years. Most live till 40.
As for the food, they are given CO3 grass, wheat and rice bran, and coconut husk. “They have a 90 feet long intestine, so they have to eat all the time,” says Aby.
Asked about his future plans, Aby says, “I am looking for investors to expand my business.”
Says Sudheesh, “There is a large market for this kind of ointments, especially in Delhi and Mumbai. I have used Aby's products. They are very good. If he expands, he is bound to do well.” 

Just Coasting For The Time Being

Bollywood director R Balki, on a recent visit to Kochi, talks about his hit film, 'Padman', and how he is relaxing now by reading books, watching films and going for cricket matches
Photos: Director R. Balki; a still from 'Paa' and 'Padman' 
By Shevlin Sebastian
One day, a few years ago, film director R. Balki went to superstar Amitabh Bachan's house, 'Jalsa', in Mumbai. While conversing with Amitabh as well as his son Abhishek, he noticed something surprising.
“While Abhishek was saying something serious, Amitji was pulling his leg,” says Balki. “I thought, 'The youngster was behaving like a wise one, while Amitji was behaving like a kid'. Then an idea popped into my mind: if I make a film with these two, I would like to make Abhishek the father. And thus the idea of 'Paa' came to fruition.” To make it logical, Balki made Amitabh suffer from progeria, which is a genetic disorder in which symptoms of aging manifest at an early age.
The film became a hit and Balki was off and running. And all along, he has tried to use Amitabh in all his films. “I am a fan,” says Balki, who had come to Kochi as the chief guest of The Pepper Advertising Awards (see box).
Asked how Amitabh is in private, Balki says, “He is 75 years old and very young. Young in mind, body and spirit. He is so enthusiastic about what he is doing. Films are life and death for him. In fact, Amitji genuinely believes that acting is the only thing he was born to do.”
Balki could also have been born to make films, since his recently-released 'Padman', starring Akshay Kumar, and made on a budget of Rs 25 crore, has become a box office hit with earnings of Rs 85 crore. And there are country-wide screenings in the lucrative China market which are yet to take place.
Many of Balki's other movies have done well including 'Cheeni Kum' 'Ki and Ka' and 'English Vinglish', in which he was a producer.
Asked the secret behind a box office success, Balki smiles, and says, “I have no idea. People says that stars guarantee a certain box office but that is not confirmed.”
But he has an idea of what audiences want. “They want interesting stories,” says Balki. “They want to have a good time. Even crying can be called a damn good time. That means you feel strongly for somebody, it means you are engaged with the characters. Audiences are never saying, 'Don't give me this or that story'. Audiences are only saying, 'Don't bore me. Don't intellectualise. Don't do mindless boring entertainment'.”
But even after you satisfy all these criteria, the pressing problem is how to get an audience's attention for a film. “There is so much of digital content that it is tough for an audience to know what is a good film and what is not,” says Balki. “Many good films go off the radar even before people come to hear about it. The ones which do well depend a lot on word-of-mouth marketing.”
Of course, stars can bring some attention. “But what if it is a film which has no stars,” says Balki. “Plus, there is a lot of digital avenues, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, for people to see films.”
Meanwhile, asked what he is doing now, following the release of 'Padman', Balki says, “I am just coasting. I am not thinking of any ideas now. I watch a lot of movies, I travel, see cricket matches and read up quite a bit.”
Right now, Balki is reading four books at the same time. These include 'The Indian Constitution – Cornerstone of a Nation' by the late historian Granville Austin, 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' by historian Yuval Noah Harari, a book by English comedian Stephen Fry and one on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“Reading enables me to form images in my mind,” says Balki. “I see these books as potential films. I also love watching films, but there the images are already formed. When you keep exercising your imagination you can form vivid images when you write your own screenplays.”
Finally, on asked how his name changed from R. Balakrishnan, the Tamilian who grew up in Bengaluru, to Balki, the former chairman of the advertising agency Lowe Lintas (India), he says, “When I went for my first interview in 1998, the person who recruited me in advertising, Naganand Kumar just called me 'Balki'. And the name stuck.”
Pepper Awards speech
“Kerala has so many unique voices”
“I came to attend the Pepper Awards because I realised that the traditional capitals of advertising like Delhi, Mumbai and to a small extent Bengaluru, are losing their voices, says Bollywood director and senior advertising professional R. Balki. He was chief guest at the recent Pepper Awards held at Kochi. “Advertising in this country or for that matter, the world, needs fresh voices and different ways of thinking. There are two places which are ready to have new voices.”
One is Maharashtra, without Mumbai, and the other is Kerala, strangely. “Advertising depends on having an unique insight into life,” says Balki. “And I have never seen more unique insights into life than Malayalam cinema and books. I watch a lot of Malayalam cinema: the humour, the way you look at life, all of it is unique. There is actually a lot to learn from Kerala's filmmakers, writers and artistes.” 
(The New Indian Express, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode)