We are glad 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan' has begun a 'seating' revolution | Interview with Vinesh Viswanath

A few months ago, 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan' director Vinesh Viswanath was running from pillar to post to get a theatre for his film. Unfortunately, the movie featuring Aju Varghese, Saiju Kurup, and a group of talented child artists was allegedly sidelined to make way for big releases. However, today, Vinesh is a happier filmmaker. His movie 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan' is receiving good response from the public since its release on Saina Play. It is also leading a silent revolution in schools in Kerala and other states, as a handful of schools have adopted the seating arrangement depicted in the film.

Vinesh expressed his surprise when schools began implementing the seating arrangement featured in the film. He stated, "I have always believed that the traditional backbench and front bench system in schools is a discriminatory way to arrange seating for children. The proposed V seating arrangement was not originally developed by the writers or myself; rather, it is a standard seating method borrowed from schools in Norway. I also remember being seated in this manner back in Class 3."

The makers had shown the film to the state minister K B Ganesh Kumar personally after its theatrical release. "He liked the film, but we were not informed that the model would be adapted in schools in Kannur. We are truly honoured by the move," he said.

Vinesh and the writers aimed to initiate change through their film, but they never expected that government officials would take the first step themselves. "We initially planned to screen these films in selected schools and present the idea to the respective management. However, now I believe that may not be necessary, as it seems to be sparking a silent revolution in our state. We also received news that the system has been adopted in a school in Punjab, and the Tamil Nadu education department has issued a circular regarding this," he explained.

He observed that although opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have criticized the initiative, they do not claim that the current system is effective. "This alone is a positive sign. We don't want schools to implement the V-system rigidly; they can adapt it in any way they believe would benefit the education of the children," he added. "Sthanarthi Sreekuttan" is set in a school in Uttar Pradesh, where the protagonist has a strained relationship with a classmate named Ambadi and a teacher played by Aju Varghese.