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Kerala actor all set to make 'monsoon' happen in UAE

Kerala's first film literacy movement to 'rain films' in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as part of its first pan-Arab tour

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Come September, and the UAE will have a 'monsoon' festival from Kerala, the blessed land of rains.
Monsoon Cine Fest, a film literacy movement which began in the South Indian state in 2005 is all set to 'rain films' in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as part of its first pan-Arab tour, in collaboration with the government of Kerala.
The man behind the film movement, Ravindhar, told Khaleej Times that it is for the first time that Monsoon Cine Fest is trying to explore its possibilities in the Gulf region, which has become a second home to many Malayalis.
The event titled 'Kochi Metro Short Films UAE' will screen 50 short films in the three emirates at selected places in the first leg of its pan-Arabian tour. The mobile film movement will then move to Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Festival not limited to film screening The initiative taken up by Monsoon Cine Fest is not limited to movie screening. There will be seminars and discussions on filmmaking, which will help the members of the 'Kochi Metro Short Films' Whatsapp group based in the UAE realise their dreams. Meanwhile, the discussions regarding the venues and sponsors for the event are in final stages, said Ravindhar, the festival director. He said that there will be "a big announcement" when the film festival will be officially announced. He added that the short films will be screened for free.  nazeem@khaleejtimes.com

According to Ravindhar, the festival director, the film festival in the UAE is aimed to highlight psychological, economical and social issues of the diaspora through the medium of cinema.
But why it is called Monsoon Cine Fest? As the name suggests, the film festival was intended for the monsoon season, but has now become an all-season movie event, said Ravindhar. Ravindhar himself made his presence felt in several language movies through his dances and negative roles. Many, often, equated his personality with his onscreen characters and it was only recently that movie buffs realised the in-depth knowledge about movies and world cinema, the 'villain' has. 
Now he has taken up the role of helping the diaspora who has a penchant for filmmaking and trying to highlight their issues through short films.
Ravindhar added that a Whatsapp group based in the UAE is already active and has been sharing short films and concepts for movie making, besides online discussions.
Ahead of the pan-Arab tour, Monsoon Cine Fest will have 'Arabian Frames' a short film festival exclusively for filmmakers from Dubai and Abu Dhabi in Kerala at Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.
The Kochi Metro Short Films UAE has renowned actor Mohanlal at its helm and discussions are on with the authorities in the UAE regarding the venues.
Ravindhar adds: "If all goes well, the UAE expats can expect a film institute that will help make their dream in filmmaking come true."
The festival is an offshoot of the Kochi Metro Short Film Fest, which had leading actors Mammootty and Mohanlal as patrons, and was launched as a platform to support Kerala government's efforts to promote Malayalam language, soon after it was named as classical language.
nazeem@khaleejtimes.com