DR. BIJUKUMAR DAMODARAN

Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran, the dynamic Malayalam Film Director, has won many national and international awards in Le Festival de Cannes (The Cannes Film Festival) and Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) for his film debut Saira (2005). Dr. Biju’s other film Raman (2008), like Saira, is also acclaimed as a work of genius.

Dr. Biju’s latest film is Veettilekkulla Vazhi (The Way Home): The film is all about terrorist organizations operating in India and how they recruit young Keralites; younger superstar Prithviraj plays the lead role. 

The filmmaker has got the inspiration for this movie from a report which appeared in a daily newspaper about Mujahdeens recruiting young people from Kerala.

SYNOPSIS
The film “Veettilekkulla Vazhi” describes the story of a doctor working at a Hospital in a Delhi Jail. The wife of the doctor and his five year old son were killed in a terrorist bomb blast in front of his eyes in a public market at Delhi.
The police captured a severely injured woman who is member in a banned terrorist organisation “Indian Jihadhi”. The doctor took responsibility for the treatment of this woman. He tried his best to save her life; but she was on the verge of death. The woman confided him the address of her friend in Kerala with whom her five year old son was living and requested the doctor to find him and hand over to the father of the child. She revealed the identity of her husband: “Abdul Suban Tharique”, who is the leader and master brain behind the banned “Indian Jihadhi’.  Upon the death of the woman, the doctor set out on a journey in search of this five year old boy.

The journey started from Delhi passed through Mumbai, Rajasthan, Kerala, Kashmir, Ladakh, etc. 
The police suspected the doctor’s sudden disappearance from the hospital and his further dubious movements and contacts. The police suspected that the doctor has some connections with the terrorist group. Facing various hurdles the doctor continued his journey to spot Tharique. Simultaneously the five year old boy accompanying him in search of his unknown father and his ancestral home gradually developed inner relationship, bringing them to father-son relationship.

At last the doctor was able to meet Tharique in a terrorist camp in Kashmir. He tried to convince him the pain of losing the relationship by giving back his son. 
 “Veettilekkulla Vazhi” is an adventurous drama highlighting human relationships. It emphasizes the path of love, survival, innocence and humanity, exploring a bloodstained facet of contemporary terrorism in India.

The film shows a kaleidoscopic view of varied heritage and people’s lives in Delhi, the God’s Own Country, that is Kerala, the slums of Mumbai, Sufi Holy Places in Ajmer, Pushkar in Rajasthan famous for its Brahma Temple, Lakes, Ghats, and Bazaars, Buddhist heritage in Ladakh, the mesmerizing beauty of Kashmir valley, the captivating desert in Jaisalmer, and so on.
Beautiful picturesque landscapes, varied Indian topography, mingled with diverse culture became the backdrop of the film. Not only the difference in people and their culture but also their languages and life surroundings are the highlights of this movie. There are some moments in life you will never forget in this eccentric film.   

EARLIER WORKS: SAIRA (2005) 
Saira tries to bring two intricate issues into the limelight, namely, the touching story about the relationship between a father and his daughter, and the evils of terrorism which affects even ordinary people. The story revolves around Saira, the daughter of the famous Ghazal Singer Ustad Ali Hussain. Although Saira is very fond of music, she decides not to follow in her father's footsteps, embarks on a career in the media and becomes a television news reporter. She endeavours to bring to light the dark truths about society, is undaunted by the challenges and the risks involved in the job, and is even willing to sacrifice her life to uphold values she holds dear to her heart. In her pursuit of a certain case, Saira mysteriously disappears. Her disappearance begins to haunt her father in his search for answers. The rest of the story is about the trials and tribulations of a father who is waiting for his daughter to return home. 

• Director : Dr. Biju Kumar
• Casts : Nedumudi Venu, Navya Nair, Rajesh Sharma, V.K. Baiju, Koodal Gopan, B.N. Radhakrishnan, Rajiv Venad, Somarajan Pillai, Thaleshan, Sruthi, Baby Safina, Master Mukundan, Master Devashambu, Baby Shahina, Baby Diana, Sahadevan
• Cinematography : M.J. Radhakrishnan
• Music :Ramesh Narayanan

 RAMAN (TRAVELOGUE OF INVASION, 2008) 

Raman is a dumb and a grown-up character with childlike innocence. He is least concerned with the ‘big’ issues that worries other people, but enjoys the childishness of walking around in his beautiful little village and playing with the children. But the sorrows that starts seeping into the lives of the villagers in forms of various social illness starts scaring Raman, even while the grownups views them thoughtlessly. Raman looks at terror with an ideological eye view. 

Parallel to the story of Raman the dumb, yet another story unfurls in the film, the story of investigations by a documentary filmmaker, Diya. Investigating on the topic of American hegemony, she finally reaches Iraq, the latest victim of American invasion. There she runs into the hands of American Army and gets arrested. 

• Direction & Screenplay : Dr. Biju
• Casts : Anoop Chandran, Avanthika Agarker, Thazhava Sahadeven, Seenath, S. Saji, Chayansarkar
• Cinematography : Kannan
• Editing : Vijayakumar
• Music : Ramesh Narayanan