I turned to see a man, tall, lean, and well-dressed, wielding a lathi (Baton), a torchlight, and an umbrella. He appeared tough, his eyes piercing me, and he asked, “You are Madhavan?”
“Yes,” I replied.
You’re the one in charge of organising this festival, right?
Yes, but not just me, but my team.
“Good.” I know Chief Minister Stalin; I spoke with him, and he told me you’re doing this. “
He walked away after saying this.
I was perplexed.
Who is he?
He walked into my team and told them to “obey Madhavan’s orders.” He then walked away, saying, “I am the head of everything here. Any problems, tell me, I know the Superintendent of Police (SP). “
Now I understand.
I called Yoga and Suresh and inquired about him.
They said he was a crazy man who kept going here and there, so don’t worry about him.
I asked them what his name was.
Both said they had no idea and nobody knew his name.
When I asked other team members and The Assembly Rooms staff, as well as nearby tea stall owners and shops, about him, no one seemed to know his name.
I had forgotten about the incident. I was busy making last-minute plans when he appeared out of nowhere and asked the same questions.
I was irritated this time, and I told him furiously that he should not disturb me.
He vanished before I could ask him his name.
This happened several times, and I’m at a loss about how to express my feelings to others about his annoyance.
I developed an inexplicable soft corner for him, as though he was a member of the Ooty Short Film Festival.
Since I did not know his name, I named him Berlin. I’m not sure why I chose this name for him, although it might have been influenced by Money Heist.
The second half of the previous season is set to be released on Netflix on December 3rd.
I became preoccupied with other minor issues that needed to be addressed.
We are almost finished with all of the preparations needed to kick off the festival the next day.
Everything was checked and ready, including the projections and sound.
I summoned my entire team, as well as all of the volunteers, to the theatre.
We had a stock take and a briefing for the next day.
We are all prepared.
We were pleased that we gave the festival our all with honesty and passion.
Next day-third December two thousand and twenty-one
Mr. S.P. Amrith, IAS, District Collector, and Ms. R. Keerthy Priyadharshini, District Revenue Officer, arrived on time on the third morning of 2021.
The festival begins at 9.30 a.m. on Friday.
The District Collector and the District Revenue Officer each delivered a very encouraging and thoughtful speech. Both stayed behind to watch the inaugural Iranian film Pass, directed by Eika Abdollahi”
We are all thrilled with the response.
Everything is running smoothly, and the festival is now on autopilot.
Delegates arrived in Ooty from all over the country, and the theatre quickly filled up.
The films are being shown at the scheduled times; we have never compromised on timing or punctuality. I keep telling Yoga and Pasu that it doesn’t matter how many people are in the room; just start the movies on time. Even if there is only one person in the hall, we should show the film to them. Never, ever wait.
One thing I am certain of is that if you are honest and committed, God will back you up.
That is exactly what occurred.
Ms. Supria Sahu, Chairperson of INDCOSERVE, has dispatched a team to assist with the festival. They came and set up the tea stall, provided tea samples to all the delegates, presented gift hampers to Chief Gusts, and provided monitory support for the festival.
It was timely and significant financial and moral support for us.
Not only did we receive support from institutions, but also from individuals; for example, my school friend Sendhil travelled from Chennai to assist me. Ramesh Kumar, a friend and the Head of Archives at the French Institute of Pondicherry, helped financially and accompanied me from the beginning to the end of the festival.
Mr. John Ravi, my political mentor and friend, travelled all the way from Thoothukudi to support the festival, both financially and by bringing a couple of his friends to assist me.
The girls from Providence College came as volunteers under the direction of Prof. Vishnu, and they were a huge help in managing the delegates and controlling the crowd.
Sendhil Kumar and Murugavel from Aruvankadu, both employees of The Cordite Factory, run a theatre group with the assistance of other employees. They made a few short videos about the festival and took three days off to volunteer at our event.
The Berlin I met yesterday evening was making his way into the theatre again. The volunteers were terrified to see him; he was instructing everyone on how to act and behave, instructed everyone to wear masks, and he kept telling them about how he met the Chief of Police or the Chief Minister and instructed everyone to obey the order.
Volunteers and some delegates complained to me about Berlin; I brought this up with Mr. Radhakrisan, who said he is helpless and does not listen to anyone. You must file a police complaint against him. Only then will he be quiet.
So I requested the beat constable and informed him about Berlin.
The beat constable arrived and asked Berlin to leave the theatre or he would arrest him.
“Who are you?” Berlin asked as he walked up and down the street. You’re speaking with the Police Chief; one phone call to the Chief Minister and you’ll be fired; you just leave. “
The police constable said, “Sir, you should give a complaint at the police station.” Only they can help.”
Berlin was wandering around the theatre, as usual, instructing everyone, and by this point, everyone was sick and tired of him.
And I couldn’t keep him under control; whenever he sees me, he salutes and talks about how he is forcing people who aren’t wearing masks to wear them.
I didn’t talk to him much because I was preoccupied with my anxiety.
However, I keep hearing about Berlin and his activities from a variety of sources.
Towards evening, Mohan Ji arrived with his family. He did not go to the hotel; he came straight to the venue.
I and Jai greeted him and guided him around the venue. Despite his exhausting journey, he spent more than an hour with us discussing the festival.
Mr. M. Chandra Kumar (a 54-year-old writer whose book “Lock Up” (2006) was adapted into a film by Vetrimaaran, “Visaranai,” which received India’s nomination for the Academy Awards this year in the Best Foreign Film category) and documentary filmmaker Mr. Sreeinvasan arrived at the same time. They are all on the talk show’s panel.
I went to a nearby tea stall with my school friend Sendhil to unwind. While we were drinking tea, I noticed some sort of commotion near the Assembly Theatre. The uproar is also becoming more ferocious.
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