Vijesh's workshops help students perform in a Malayalam film

Chennai: Theatre artiste Vijesh, whose workshops helped the school students in shedding their apprehensions about facing the camera in Malayalam film 'Philips and the Monkey Pen', says its imperative to unlock the uncluttered mind of the children.

"Children have varied emotions. Their minds are uncluttered; the challenge is to unlock them, help them flower on screen," Vijesh, 'acting director' of the movie, told PTI.

The Jayasurya-starrer revolves around a group of fifth standard students. The main character is master Sanoop, he said. Vijesh who teaches theatre at the Devagiri school in Kozhikode conducted a 15-day workshop for about 20 children as part of easing their entry into filmdom.

"The acting director is a new designation in the film industry. He helps in easing the pressure of the director. The director can explain the situation and the acting director can help an untrained actor in the nuances of acting and give the required expression," Vijesh said.

Even while the movie was being shot, Vijesh used to conduct training sessions on the sidelines to make the children comfortable.

"At the time of taking the shot, the children were so confident that the senior actors were nervous acting with them," he claimed.

At the workshops, Vijesh used a combination of songs and games to make the children comfortable. The shots went without any hassles by the debut-directors Rojin Thomas and Shamil Muhammed, who were all praise for Vijesh and his style of training the students.