Short film by Kerala youngsters illuminates lives of senior citizens hit by Covid

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 14 (ANI): As the country celebrates the festival of lights, a group of youngsters from Kerala has come forward to depict the plight of senior citizens, who lit 'diyas' to illuminate the lives of the younger generation and are now forced to cut down their routines to spend time within four walls in a post-coronavirus world.
Titled "Invisible Humans", a short duration film has been produced by youngsters in the Malayalam film industry who have worked without taking any remuneration as a tribute to the elder generation, particularly those who are above 65 years old.
Speaking to ANI, director of the film Aaron Mathew said that even with the world inching back to normal, a huge part of the population, around 11 per cent senior citizens in India and in Kerala a higher 17 per cent - have not yet recovered from the severe blow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to their life.
"The senior citizens - our grandparents and parents above the age of 65, are still living in the shadows. The spaces they used to occupy like parks, walkways they used to go for morning walk, seats in buses reserved for them are all lying vacant. The effort was to highlight it and to appreciate them for what they did for raising our generation," he said.
The idea was appreciated by even celebrities in the Malayalam film industry that noted director Sathyan Anthikad did the narration for the short duration film of three-minutes.
"Do not be afraid of death but of aging. Isolation in old age. We have seen in many families, many people who have lost their relevance. Those who remain invisible while alive. Voiceless. This picture is a reminder of them," said Sathyan Anthikad.
Aaron said once the idea was mooted he got a response from people from the industry he approached.
"Once the idea was shared, I was overwhelmed as everyone who took part be it cinematographer Sharan Velayudhan, music director Samuel Aby or Sreejith Balagopal who did the narration script was willing to share the spirit to work free of cost for a noble cause. So did, Executive Producer Austin Abraham," he added. (ANI)