Ragesh Krishnan beats cerebral palsy, makes directorial debut with 'Kalam@24'

Pandalam native Ragesh Krishnan's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. This filmmaker, who was born with cerebral palsy, overcame odds to make his first full-length feature film 'Kalam@24', which hit theatres on Friday. The movie is a medical thriller, inspired from a real-life incident he came across in newspapers a few years ago. “The story is quite routine, but I have treated it differently. I am sure it will appeal to the masses,” he said.
The journey to the silverscreen has been marked by several blows. “I have faced ridicule for my physical and mental limitations, but I am only grateful for those challenges,” said Ragesh.
The filmmaker said he first fell in love with filmmaking when he watched Satyajit Ray's 'Pather Panchali'. “The movie showed me the true power of screenplay. The same year, I directed my first play along with a group of my friends in Plus Two. I realised this was my calling,” he said. His mom introduced him to films through Mammootty-starrer 'Johnnie Walker'. “I was a kid then, but I was heart broken with the climax of the movie. I still remember how I anxiously opened the newspaper to see if Mammootty sir had actually died. My mom allayed my fear and told me it was only a movie. That was my first experience with cinema,” he said.
Though life has been hard for him, Ragesh remembers his school years with fondness. “I was first sent to a special school, but the instructors told my parents that I could be sent to a regular school. I did my primary and higher secondary education at Thonalloor Government UP School in Pandalam. From Class VIII, I went to NSS Boys School, Pandalam. I got a lot of opportunities there and made some great friends for life,” he said. After Plus Two, he enrolled for a diploma in a Polytechnic institution. An experience there affected him. “I continued to be passionate about cinema after Plus Two. One day, I saw a group of students handling a camera as part of a short film they were doing. I was really curious to know the functioniong of the camera. However, they dismissed me saying I didn't need to learn as I would not be handling a camera in my life. The incident hurt me, but it made me determined. The very next year, I made my first short film. Since then, my dreams only became bigger and I aspired to become a full-length feature film director in Mollywood,” he said.

Ragesh admits the journey in the past 12 years has been extremely hard. “I still remember how a group of people mocked me on the sets of a film when I went to share my story with an actor there. People did not believe me nor did they trust in my abilities,” he said. The shoot of 'Kalam@24' began two years ago. “I faced a lot of bitter experiences during the post-production stage of my film. I was doubtful if my film would ever see the light of day. I was neck-deep in loan since I spent all my finances making this movie. Some people tried to hinder the film's release. Thankfully, I got the chance to meet Minister Saji Cheriyan who supported me. He told me to go ahead with the film. He kept his word and my film is now showing in six theatres across the state,” he said.

Ragesh hopes his film will get a bigger audience in the coming days. “I learnt that the film is running houseful in all the theatres where it is shown. There are challenges, but I am hopeful the scenario will change in the coming days,” he said.
'Kalam@24' is bankrolled by his own production firm Cine House Media and CMK Productions. “I have written at least eight more scripts and I am looking forward to direct them in the future,” he said.