DIPCHAND BIHARI, OP
Bhubaneswar: Ramendra Kumar is well known for his outstanding story telling skill, which has won him many awards. Am I Insane? , a widely read children’s story by this writer is currently the subject of a short film. Kolkata-based director Bhaskar Banerjee will soon begin the shooting on his latest Bengali short film based on the psycho-thriller.
Talking to Orissa POST, Ramendra said, “I am happy that readers can soon watch the story in visual format. During an interaction in social media, Bhaskar asked me to send few stories to him so that he can make a short film on one. Eventually, he selected Am I Insane? The casting for the film is over and shooting will start by June-end. I was told that film will be sent to various film festivals across the globe.”
The story talks about a 13-year-old girl protagonist Dolly, who loves her father David passionately. Despite her mother’s demise, Dolly never felt lonely or left alone. Her father nurtured her with much love, care and affection. One day, Dolly’s father introduced his secretary Lisa to her and told her that he would marry Lisa. The news doesn’t sound good for Dolly. However, Lisa and her father marry despite her objections.
After the marriage, Dolly doesn’t get any opportunity to sleep with her father. This hurts the little girl. As several such incidents happen in the family, Dolly realises that she is not getting her share of love from her father. As a result, she feels jealous and wants to hurt Lisa, who is pregnant. One day, Dolly tries to push Lisa from stairs to hurt her. Seeing Dolly’s anger, Lisa herself rolls down the staircase and dies in the process.
Dolly’s father does not know about the incident, but is worried over her behaviour. He takes her to a doctor and following observation, the doctor said, “Your daughter doesn’t need a physician, she needs a psychiatrist.” When she heard him saying this, Dolly tells the readers, “Tell me, am I insane?”
According to Ramendra, it is very rare that stories are written on such psychological problems. “This story tells several things. If the story can be represented properly, it will make a great impact. Through the story, and now film, parents can help their children to overcome such psychological conditions,” he said.
Ramendra has already won many laurels for his writings. Recently, he was awarded by the Writers and Publishers of Sri Lanka for his contribution to children’s literature. Four of his books have also been translated into Sinhala, the official language of Sri Lanka.
