Imagine holding onto a dream for nearly a decade, wielding unshakable trust in yourself, and giving your everything to see the other end of the tunnel. To realize her sophomore directorial Minmini, filmmaker Halitha Shameem has been on one such journey. The passion project that began a little after the release of her debut film, Poovarasam Peepee, was intentionally put on hold for the child actors of the film — Esther Anil, Praveen Kishore, and Gaurav Kaalai — to grow older and reprise the adult versions of their characters. In 2022, Halitha shot the second half of the film, and now Minmini is finally all set to fly.
During all these years, even when she made other films like Sillu Karupatti, Aelay, or Loners (a segment in Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa), Halitha hasn’t missed a chance to speak about Minmini. However, with the art form and audiences evolving continuously, it is natural for self-doubt to creep in, isn’t it?
That wasn’t the case with Minmini, says Halitha. “I could never detach myself from this story. Every time I finished another film and came back to watch the footage, it kept exciting me, and that’s because of the emotion behind it. Sure, the way we make films might evolve, but the emotions never change, and the story always gave me that high,” she says, adding that she was conscious not to tamper the soul of her work even when she shot the second half after almost six years. “Maybe I would have added a couple of ideas, like the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lifestyle changes, but I never got insecure.”
For Minmini to become what it is, music has played a pivotal role, as is evident from the trailer and the songs. Entrusting the responsibility to debutant composer Khatija Rahman (singer and the daughter of renowned composer AR Rahman) has borne fruit for Halitha.
In a conversation, both explained how the film’s soundscape was crafted. “The emotions. The story is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and that was my catch. I just wanted my music to be true to those emotions,” says Khatija. Initially, Halitha considered collaborating with multiple musicians but later felt that Khatija’s compositions provided everything the film needed.
The collaboration has brought depth to the narrative, a point Halitha touches upon. “I am glad you said that because people usually don’t read behind the ‘feel good’ factor of my films. I understand why they look at it that way, but I have explored grief as well. Minmini mainly talks about grief and suffering,” Halitha notes.
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Khatija Rahman elucidated on her influences and inspirations while working on Minmini. “She (Halitha) showed me The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. She also made me explore the work of Rachel Portman, the first female composer to win an Oscar. I watched Hans Zimmer’s masterclass, which helped me before I started working on the film. However, we have also tried to break the mould; for instance, we used a specific instrument native to Turkey in a couple of songs, which was quite interesting,” she added.
When asked if she sought advice from her father, AR Rahman, Khatija mentioned, “I do that when a specific situation arises, but nothing of that sort came up during Minmini. He just assured me that he was there if I needed anything at all. Moreover, because the director had a degree of awareness about the music, I just followed her vision. Of course, my father offered some advice in general — not necessarily film-centric — which I tried to implement in this film. When you have such a treasure of knowledge at home, you obviously take in whatever you can from them.”
Halitha made it clear that Minmini is not just a coming-of-age story. “Firstly, I would like to clarify that this film doesn’t document how children grow up to become young adults, which many might wrongly perceive it to be because the same actors play the children and their adult versions. Secondly, Minmini doesn’t touch upon just their age-related issues. When I did Poovarasam Peepee, I did think of doing another film once these characters were grown up, but that’s because the story lent itself to such an attempt. In Minmini’s case, a story begins and ends somewhere,” she elaborates.
Reflecting on her growth as a filmmaker, Halitha says, “I used to be a bit insecure those days, replaying the scenes and anxiously wondering if they would hold the attention of the audience. I used to obsess over the elements that would make the scenes more pulsating. Now, for better or worse, I am just trusting myself and doing what I believe in.”
Minmini is set to release in theatres on August 9, marking a significant milestone in Tamil cinema and Indian cinema at large. It heralds the culmination of a labor of love and patience, promising audiences an emotionally rich and musically potent experience.
