From reallife hero to a reellife hero
Kuvi, a female dog, first shot to fame after it helped the rescue team locate the body of twoyearold girl Dhanushka, a member of her owner’s family, following a massive landslip at Pettimudy in Kerala’s Idukki on August 6, 2020.
The canine, later adopted by Ajith Madhavan, a civil police officer, is waiting for the release of the movie Najuss in which she will make her big screen debut as the protagonist.
The movie, written and directed by Sreejith Poyilkavu, centres on the story of a stray dog that arrives in a village in Malappuram, gradually winning the hearts of the residents, and the events that unfold.
“It is a dogoriented film and Kuvi is playing the lead. Kuvi was trained by Mr. Madhavan to perform certain scenes. On the movie set, it behaved like just another crew member. It mingled with everyone and did scenes effortlessly,” says Mr. Poyilkavu.
Mr. Madhavan, who was with Kerala Police’s K9 Squad (Dog Squad), first met Kuvi during the search and rescue operation at Pettimudy where 70 people lost their lives in the tragedy.
“Twentyone of the 23 members of Dhanushka’s family had perished in the landslip. Kuvi was in a dejected state after looking for her loved ones in vain. After initially refusing to eat food, she slowly started to eat,” recalls Mr. Madhavan.
Though Mr. Madhavan wanted to adopt the canine, she was recruited to the police dog squad after the landslip. Almost a year later, Dhanushka’s grandmother appealed to the police and Kuvi was returned to the family.
In early 2022, the dog became pregnant and the family handed over it to Mr. Madhavan, who brought her to Cherthala. “While in the dog squad, I gave her training in obedience and heel walk. Fiveyearold Kuvi completed the 20day film shooting with ease,” says Mr. Madhavan.