'Oscar never figured in my thoughts'

When he made the film Jalam about a homeless young woman, all that director Padmakumar wanted was to tell a sincere and realistic tale.
However, it has taken the director leaps and bounds ahead of his dream with his movie figuring among the 305 films in the recently released Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 88th Academy Awards. Four of its songs have also found a spot among the 74 tracks selected in the long list for the Best Original Song category.
The director says, “I was hopeful that my movie might enter the State or National Awards races but Oscar never figured in my thoughts! But I was elated when the producers recently received mails regarding its entry into the Academy Awards. I am happy that the movie, which handles an issue with a sense of social commitment, got recognised.”
Jalam, an offbeat film, is quite unlike Padmakumar's previous ventures like Shikkar, Vasthavam and Polytechnic. Scripted by Suresh Kumar, the movie has Priyanka Nair in the lead role and is also based on a real life incident. Its songs were composed by Ouseppachan and had Dr Madhu Vasudevan’s lyrics. “We are planning a January release for the film,” concludes Padmakumar.