Three young film directors came together at the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters on Friday to share their journey of exploring new paths in cinema and how they turned their passion into success. The discussion, called Puthenvazhi Vettuna Samvidhayagar (Directors exploring new paths), featured Senna Hegde, the director of Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, Jithin Laal, who made the hit movie Ajayante Randam Moshanam (ARM), and MC Jithin, known for Sookshmadarshini and Nonsense.

Senna Hegde, who is from Kasaragod, shared that most of his films are set in his hometown, Kanhangad. He said he chooses this location for both comfort and practicality. "The beautiful landscape of Kanhangad fits well with my films," he said, adding he is happy to see more local actors and technicians getting into the industry. When asked by moderator RJ Rafi if he would pursue acting, he laughed and said "I have no aspiration to be an actor."

Jithin Laal spoke about Ajayante Randam Moshanam (ARM) and shared a personal experience. At last year’s MBIFL event, someone had asked him why he was just wandering around instead of reading a book or working. This year, however, he was invited as a speaker. He said this proved that if someone has passion and good content, they should pursue it without any hesitation.

MC Jithin talked about how his movie Sookshmadarshini came to life. He said the story was built around the character Priyadarshini, and when planning the film, they felt actress Nazriya would be a great fit. 

When RJ Rafi asked all three what they would like to change in the Malayalam film industry, Jithin Laal and MC Jithin agreed that the system needs to be more professional and structured. Senna Hegde, however, said he didn’t feel he was the right person to comment but believed that change is always good.

Towards the end, the audience got a chance to ask questions. Some children had interesting queries, making the directors realize that even young viewers were impacted by their films. A child asked why ARM wasn’t available in IMAX format. Jithin Laal assured that he would seriously consider it for his next film and ARM did not happen due to some technical hitches.