“I do believe that there are generally two kinds of people in the world. The first are those who see their future as a book that is already written… The second kind includes people who believe in the romantic notion of “living your own life” instead of following the herd. However, the irony lies in the fact that, sometimes, those who rebelliously set off to find their promised land are quite often living the same mundane lives, only filled with more dissatisfactions and frustrations.”

These poignant words set the theme for newcomer Nilmini Perera’s debut directorial venture “MADHU”, which recently screened at the Royal College Skill Centre Auditorium on the 16th of July. The short film - which the talented Nilmini also wrote and produced - takes us on a journey  accompanied by protagonist Madhu. The short film stars Shashi Gunawardana as Madhu, Charindra Chandrasena as Madhu’s brother Sampath and Buddhika Abeyrathna as Madhu’s teacher Sudesh.

Nilmini is no stranger to the world of performing arts. Having dabbled in drama and theatre during her late teens, she has also acted in theatre productions including “Obinamuni” Gamini De Silva’s Sinhala adaptation of ‘Othello’, Sujeewa Pathinisekara’s Sinhala adaptation of ‘King Lear’ and Buddhika Damayantha’s ‘Che Guvera’.

Daily Mirror Life caught up with Nilmini - a promising talent fresh off the success of her first screening - about her maiden short film MADHU.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am currently employed as a Senior Technical Writer at WSO2 Inc. As far as education goes, I did my A/L's at Sirimavo in 2003, and completed my BA from the University of Kelaniya a few years back (I was an external student) while being employed. I studied three of my favourite subjects; English Literature, Political Science and History. About my family: I am the youngest of 4 siblings and I have three older brothers.

Have you always been interested in filmmaking?

Yes. I have been interested in filmmaking for as long as I can remember. I even tried to do a movie with a couple of my friends while I was in school. Strangely, there was hardly anyone in my family who was even remotely involved in this industry. So, I didn't always know how I was suppose to make my start. Tried a lot of different things, and finally managed to produce my first movie on my own, which is MADHU.

What prompted you to make this short film?

I didn't really start by thinking, 'I need to make a short film'. Personally, I consider myself to be a story teller. I like to talk about people, about different characters and to explore human relationships to its depth. These are the type of movies that I want to make. Unfortunately, I did not have the resources to start my career in movies with a big story. Even though MADHU is only 24 minutes long, I would say it is probably more of a 'short narrative' or 'short feature' than a 'short film' by definition.

A short film is actually a very special genre of films, and we don't always get the opportunity to explore characters too deeply.  At a professional level, I believe people make short films to express powerful ideas, which are mostly abstract. However, for most aspiring filmmakers like myself, short films are an opportunity to break into the industry, to make a statement about what you can do as a writer/director/actor and to experiment with your own ideas. It is a stepping stone towards something bigger. And this is the exact reason why I decided to work on this 'short film'/'short narrative'. Instead of trying to fit my story into the genre of 'short film', my attempt here is to tell a compelling story in 24 minutes.

Tell us a little bit about it.

MADHU is really a story about discovering your own journey in life. Madhu is a young girl, who is in her mid teens when the story starts. Since her childhood, Madhu has followed in the footsteps of her older brother Sampath, who is an ambitious young man determined to do great things in life. Sampath's determination and courage inspires Madhu and she willingly follows in his path hoping that someday she would be just like him. Madhu learns the beauty of dreaming big and living for a purpose from her brother Sampath. However, the twist in the story begins when Sampath begins to lose his way, which leaves young Madhu with no choice but to start her own journey in life without her idol.

Does this short film convey a social message?

Firstly, most importantly, the message that I wanted to convey through this movie is that it is always important that we take the effort to know what we really want to do with our lives. As 'Sudesh' (MADHU's teacher) explains to Madhu in the movie, if you use your imagination, and if you try to see beyond what meets the eye, there is an extraordinary world out there that is waiting to be discovered. It takes courage to see the world on your own, instead of looking through the eyes of others.

Having said that, there is more to living your dream than the 'dream' itself. We must also learn to enjoy the process, and not loose our conscience and our happiness in the effort. In this story, Sampath sets out to achieve great things with indomitable courage, and then he becomes a machine like creature who no longer knows or feels what he wants to achieve.

What's next for you?

I am doing a lot of writing these days. There are few scripts I am working on. Some of them are my own creations, and some are collaborations with a few friends. Waiting to start on another production soon before the end of this year.

By Rihaab Mowlana