Directing a film is not the most easiest of jobs. For crying out aloud, most Indian films get recognized mainly for the stellar cast and although a good cast goes a long way in making a project work, the situations are scant when one really ponders about a good direction.
Satyajit Ray had once remarked that “We have a fairly backward audience here, in spite of the film society movement and all that, if you consider the audience at large, it is a backward audience” and that is a perfect truth considering the success rate of commercial hits as opposed to independent ventures. For such an audience, a film like Pebbles set out as a pioneer in the genre of art-house productions.
The making of Pebbles: Inspiration and Conception
Pebbles is an unprecedented showcase of unadorned emotion and visually compelling imagery. As a young man, Vinothraj, like the millions before him, had turned to English movies for the much needed impetus. But English, being a secondary language, was not easy for him to grasp. Without losing heart, the filmmaker turned towards films that did not require a lot of words to express their framework. Though language is one of the most important mediums of communication, Vinothraj believed in the power of actions and emotions. He sought to convey what words often fail to cover or fathom.
Human speech is limited in terms of expressing what the heart is capable of feeling. Words often don’t hold any meaning and to be limited to the prospect of just filling in between silences would be a misuse. In this context, Pebbles or Koozhangal( in Tamil) emerged as a film about retrieval. This concept of reacquisition is rooted on a very personal level in the narrative of the film. For starters, the whole idea of the focal point in the story was developed from a personal experience.
Although not explicitly stated, the subject of dowry served as a catalyst for the production of such a remarkable film. As a result of her inability to fulfil dowry demands, Vinothraj’s sister was expelled from her marital home and compelled to walk 13 kilometres to her mother’s residence. Feeling a responsibility to expose social injustices, the filmmaker shifted the narrative.
In Pebbles, it is the husband’s journey that is documented. To maintain the authenticity of rural life, the whole movie was filmed over around 30 days. The director also made use of the peak hours of daylight to represent the sweltering and humid climate in native Madurai.
Even in fortitude, the children in Pebbles appear happy. When asked about the root of this innate sense of happiness, Vinothraj reminisced about his childhood. The children had not known better days, for them, this was their best. Such a parable is always, in equal parts, uncomfortably real and heart warming at the same time. In its reminder about the simple joys in life, the film teaches gratefulness in the truest sense.
Reception
Pebbles received the Tiger Award at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It was also selected as India’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. In India, it was screened at the 52nd International Film Festival of India in ‘Indian Panorama’ section, feature film category.
Solidifying Vinothraj’s position as an extraordinary director and writer, Pebbles continues to move the Indian diasporic audience as a chance encounter with rural idiosyncrasies. For a closer look, the film is available for streaming on Sony LIV.
