Dream of cinema comes true for this Indian expat in Capital
abu dhabi — Indians associate almost all life incidents with cine scenes and an average Indian’s day is not complete without mentioning cinema. It is also a fabled world which everyone craves to enter.
Indian expat Pinku Pillai too harboured similar dreams from childhood and after years of struggle, he has finally become part of a Malayalam cinema.
“I am living a dream. This is a great start for me — to feature in a cinema with National Film Award winner Suraj Venjaramoodu in the lead. I have finally found the light at end of the tunnel,” said Abu Dhabi-based Malayali civil engineer.
“I am from Kollam district and my film craze started during childhood. My first audition was at 13 years. They charged Rs500 as fees for a TV serial role but it didn’t work out. My parents discouraged me from further forays, but I continued with theatre and skits in school and college. I later joined Ayanam Theatre and Kollam Pratibha. Sunil Ayanam, the owner of the group, goaded me to eye the big league.”
Pinku continued with theatre, acted in few albums and a documentary. Meanwhile, he kept meeting directors, producers and artists seeking a chance.
“This is the only way for outsiders to get a break. I kept knocking at doors but there was no answer. Financial woes made me land in Abu Dhabi in 2003 but the dream kept me awake. I found solace through performances at the Mussafah Arts Society (MAS) and my comedy skit as a hotel supplier was wellreceived. The MAS members, Kannan and Subhash, encouraged me,” Pinku said looking back at past years.
And in May 2017, Pinku got to know about the audition in Dubai for a new cinema.
“There were some 2,000 aspirants. There were four rounds and workshops. I got selected and, eventually, my nine-yearold son Arjun too got the nod. He is a student at the Abu Dhabi Indian School Al Wahtba and has won few competitions too,” added the proud father.
Film ‘Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri’ is a hilarious tale of a police constable managing a host of relatives at his home during a temple festival. The film will release on May 11. It has dozen first-timers from actors, support staff and production support based in the UAE.
“Many are first-timers. This shows that we should never give up on our dreams.
“I thank my wife Renjini Pillai and my son Adityakrishna for being understanding and supporting me all these years,” concluded Pinku.