It is a small film on big transformation. On Mona's Birthday, a 14-minute short film made by Narendra Nath tells the story of a sex worker Mona and how her life changes when she interacts with a seven-year-old boy. The story is inspired from an event that happened in Europe. "The key point is that when you interact with a pure soul, the experience is pure and can change one's life," points out Narendra. The scenes showcase how Kalyan, an architect expresses his love to Mona, a sex worker and urges her to change her life, leave everything and live with him. An emotional Mona is undecided and meets a seven-year-old boy on her way and the story takes off from here.
"I realised I couldn't travel on two boats. I chose cinema," he smiles. He started his journey as a filmmaker and has made 12 short films till now. Shot during four nights, On Mona's Birthday has actress Madhavi Latha ( Nachavule fame) in Mona's role and music is by Sunil Kashyap. Although there are no vulgar dialogues in the movie, coffee has been used as a metaphor to talk about sex. "Mona is a sex worker but she doesn't want to pollute the little boy's mind. So, when the boy asks about her profession, she says, 'she makes coffee'," explains Narendra.
Unlike youngsters who join as Assistant Directors to hone their skills, Narendra is a self-taught one. "In this era, there is no need to work under anybody. I believe that filmmaking is attained through observation and instincts. One can develop technical skills in other departments but direction is unique and depends on a person's perception."
Narendra Nath is working towards fulfilling his dream of directing a feature film.
