This children’s film tells the story of human-animal bond and conflict

Sakhil Raveendran’s films are about nature and people living in harmony and what happens when that harmony is affected. His inspiration for the films comes from living close to the forest over the years and the observations made during this period. His latest, a children’s film, titled Kuvi, he says, “is very relevant at a time when human — animal conflicts are increasing”.

Kuvi, he says, is the name of the dog that survived the Pettimudi landslide and later kept searching for its family among the debris. “While the title is inspired by Kuvi, the story is different. This film is about a boy who lost his pets, especially his dog Kuvi, to wild animals who are forced to come to human settlements because they are chased by illegal hunters in the deep woods. The premise is very simple and we get to see the affection between animals and humans as well as how some actions can cause harm. There is also a sense of justice being delivered towards the end,” he says.

Kuvi is fully set along the boundaries of forests and is rich in visuals of nature, according to the director. “We shot most of the film in the Kanthalloor region. Even the dog in it is a local dog and we managed to get it familiarised with Sijin, the child actor who plays the protagonist,” shares Sakhil.

“I have tried to show the human-animal connection and how our own actions can cause imbalance in nature. There is also the element of belief. The child protagonist believes in Karuppasamy, a local deity, and expects justice to be served. This is a parallel to how local belief systems and worshipping nature acts as a deterrent to destroying nature. This culture of worshipping elements of nature or local protectors is prevalent and while the story is fictionalised, these elements are all real,” he says.

Former Indian Football captain IM Vijayan plays a key role in the film. BK Harinarayanan has written lyrics for one of the songs in the film — Karu Karu Karuthoru Kaadane, which has been composed by PS Jayhari, and sung by Vidhu Pratap. “All the songs in the film are inspired by the forest and folk culture. The songs echo the relationship between man and nature,” he adds. Janardhanan Subhash George is the cinematographer of this film produced by Pearl Movie Creations."Get the latest updates on Times of India, including reviews of the movie Coolie and War 2."