In Moira , a 40-minute short film, Dharma, Imra and Kaala represent Yama the god of death. They are on a mission — to take away the lives of those who violate traffic rules. Just as they are about to strike, three of their intended victims, Shiva, Zakheer and Mahesh, realise their mistake and manage to escape death ( with just a few minutes left to spare). Moira is the Greek word for fate and destiny.
Moira, made by Round Table 20 & Yi Coimbatore, is a wake-up call to road users to abide by the rules, says B. Praveen Kumarr, Chairman of Young India Coimbatore. “In Tamil Nadu, we lose close to 1000 lives to road accidents in a year. Reckless driving, over speeding and lack of awareness on precautions are the main reasons. We wanted to make the film to take the message across. It was two years in the making.”
The film is directed by Vijay Anand TR and his team at S16 Technologies. Shot in Coimbatore and London, the narration in the film is crisp, taut and gripping. Excellent VFX effects and background music give it an added edge. Director Vijay Anand also plays Dharma. He says,“Every fourth minute, a person dies in a road accident in India just because they have not thought the consequences through. What happens to their family? We wanted to discuss death and instil a sense of fear and pain in those who violate traffic rules.”
Drunken driving, talking on mobile phones while driving, not wearing or not strapping helmets securely, all come under the gambit of the film. “In the film, three people escape while three others die. One of them dies because he rides a poorly maintained bike. Then there are those cab drivers who push themselves to work overtime to make extra money. Like Zakheer in the Movie who plays a sleep-deprived cab driver. But, he recognises his exhaustion and requests his customer to take another cab. He listens to his inner voice. We want to tell the viewers to listen to that voice and act on it.”
- The target audience for the film is those in the 18 to 25 age group — the new users
- Young Indian’s have also tied up with educational institutions to spread awareness on road safety. They plan to take it to other cities through NGOs. The film is certified by the CBFC and is now available on Moviebuff Tamil channel on YouTube
- Moira’s sound design is by Sync Cinema. Sound mixing is by M R Rajakrishnan of Four Frames in Chennai (he recently won a National Award for his work in the Telugu film Rangasthalam )
- Vijayanand can be contacted at 99447-27777
Tragedies of road accidents are universal, says Vijay Anand. That is the reason the final portion of the film, shot in London, shows a girl talking on the phone on her way back after a late night party and her car crashes. “Wherever you are, follow road rules,” he urges.
Says Praveen Kumarr, “When in college people ridiculed me for wearing seat belts. It is better to be safe. The danger could be at a street corner or a highway. People take it lightly. I have seen people take off their helmets once they cross the junction where there are cops. Accidents happen on the highway in a micro second. Not just over-speeding, sleep deprivation is a very real danger. Shutting your eyes even for a flicker can lead to horrific consequences. As can badly maintained vehicles. Our film deals with some fundamental dos and don’t s that can save lives. ” He points out to another dangerous trend of underage children driving. “We have to value lives and follow road etiquette. What we need is an attitudinal change.”
