Kochi: Keralites won three awards for the Ladakhi film Walking With The Wind in the recently announced 65th National Film Awards.
Apart from the best Ladakhi film, it also won the best sound design (Sanal George) and the best re-recording and mixing (Justin K Jose). The producer of the film is also a Keralite - Mahesh Mohan.
An oil exporter based in Dubai, Mahesh decision to make a film in the Ladakhi language was quite unexpected. Mahesh, who likes both commercial and art movies, heard several stories for a film. In 2015, through a friend in Mumbai, he got in touch with Marathi director Praveen Morchhale.
Mahesh Mohan, the producer of national award-winning film 'Walking With The Wind'.Praveen, who is a diehard fan of the late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, had dedicated his first film to Kiarostami. The Walking With The Wind too has the beauty of Iranian films.
The location of the film was at Yangthang, a village 70 km away from Leh. Though it was a small story, it was its simplicity that attracted him, said Mahesh. The shooting that began by late 2015 ended in August 2017. Villagers themselves were the actors.
A boy who played the main character was also from the village. Ten-year-old Tsering studies in one of the schools in the valley. When Tsering climbs onto a chair to catch a butterfly, it breaks. The chair belongs to his closest friend.
Tsering tries to repair the chair without anyone noticing before the schools opens. The film revolves around the 7-km trip that Tsering undertakes to get the chair repaired.
Mahesh said that jury chairman Shekhar Kapoor had showered praise on the film during the announcement of the awards, and he took it as a big recognition.
The film has already been shown in several international film festivals.
'Sound is the key'
Sanal George, who won the award for best sound design for the Ladakhi film Walking With The Wind, hails from Kozhikode's Peruvannamuzhi.
Sanal GeorgeAn alumnus of the Pune Film Institute, he is based out of Mumbai for the past few years. He was associated with Aamir Khan's film Dangal and Chalo Dilli. Sanal was also associated with several Indian English films.
Since the Ladakhi film had a serene background, only gentle sounds were used, said Sanal. The only potential was the breeze and melting snow that runs together to form streams. He has made the most out of them.
During the shoot, the film crew members were staying in a tent in Yangthang. With just 300 inhabitants, there were no facilities at all in the small village.
Sanal pointed out that without cinema halls having better sound systems, the experiments that are seen in films these days won't be able to reach the audience.
Though late, Malayalam films too are catching up fast on the sound front, and Sanal is hopeful that cinema halls too would change with time.
'Award was unexpected'
Justin Jose is a Thrissur native. It was the second national award that came Justin's way with Walking With The Wind . He was first recognised for Bajirao Mastani. Justin, who has been active in the field for the past 15 years, was in for a surprise when he heard that he won the national award for best re-recording and mixing.
Justin Jose"I was not aware that the film was submitted for awards. When I heard that I have won an award, I was taken aback," said Justin.
Justin became active in films after his studies at Chetna Studio in Thrissur. He has films like Baahubali - The Beginning, Padmaavat, Mohenjo Daro, Airlift, Kapoor and Sons and Sachin: A Billion Dreams to his credit.
In Malayalam, he has worked for Punyalan Private Ltd and Pretham, and a Russian film, The Lesson.
Settled in Mumbai, Justin is married to Lijin and has a son.
