Manesh Nesaratnam was negotiating personal space in a crowded LRT when reality hit him.

 

The 29-year-old had been all geared up to produce a Malaysian movie - which tells of a journey shared by a national service defaulter on the run from cops and a loan shark defaulter on the run from flying parangs.

"I co-wrote this with a Pakistani friend, and we were really proud of the script. I showed it to anyone who wants to read it, and was so excited about making the movie.

"One day, however, I was standing in a packed LRT. Looking at all the Malaysian faces surrounding me, a thought sank in - no one here is going to enjoy my movie lah!" the creative director of local production house Sunny Stories Sdn Bhd recalled with a laugh, during an interview at a small eatery in Subang Jaya recently.

"I had a feeling that a lot of people may not be able to relate to the characters at all. It was a feeling that stuck with me," he added, while staring thoughtfully into his Milo drink.

Disheartened, Manesh vowed to "throw the script out of the window" (he later admitted that he couldn't really bear to do that, so the script was stashed away somewhere in his house).

Now script-less, Manesh hung on to his desire to make a truly Malaysian film, but his realisation in the LRT meant he could not do things the same way again - i.e. locking himself in a room to write a syok-sendiri screenplay.

Paving a wider road

"Everyone tries to make a Malaysian movie, but we end up making our own movies, based on what we see and feel. However, Malaysia is bigger than you and me! It is bigger than our urban experiences in KL or PJ," said Manesh, who has shot TV shows like The Firm (Season Two), three to four short films and a few documentaries.

Thus, as cartoon clichés would have it, a big light bulb went off above Manesh's head - why not start a community film project?

"When I watch movies, it feels like a personal connection with the producers. So, I thought, why limit the link to just filmmaker-audience? Why not use the movie to establish a web of connection with Malaysians out there, crowd-source their stories and make everyone feel involved?" said Manesh, animatedly.

With the giddying concoction of epiphany and excitement buzzing in him, Manesh called his fellow producers at Sunny Stories, Amy Lim and Roshan Ravi, both in their twenties, and told them, "You gotta do this project with me!" They replied, "Are you kidding? Of course!"

With that, the trio came up with Your Grandfather's Road (YGR), an online platform to generate, discuss and develop story and character ideas with the public.

The project is also carried out in association with award-winning local production house Popiah Pictures Sdn Bhd, while supported by BMW MINI and Creative United Movement.

On www.yourgrandfathersroad.com, everyone is invited to share their experiences and ideas as Malaysians, or in Malaysia. Then, these anecdotes and sentiments would be collected and curated into a screenplay to make, as the trio calls it, "a kick-ass road movie together [with all Malaysians]".

Why the name "Your Grandfather's Road"? The site itself features a video asking local personalities and people on the streets on what the phrase means to them.

Most have related it to a sense of ownership, as in how Malaysians would yell at road-users who seem to be doing whatever they want - "Oi, you think this is your grandfather's road ah?"

Some, on the other hand, think it may refer to our heritage as a nation - it is because of the journey our grandparents took that we are here today.

For Manesh, it is a bit of both. He revealed that the project has been a massive journey to discover his own identity, as well as the collective identity with his fellow Malaysians and their future together.

Whatever the name, Your Grandfather's Road aims to be a truthful yet hopeful film that captures the path which everyday Malaysians can stake claim to have experienced.

Our stories, now told

The five-month project is currently updated six times a week, and each post is a personal account by one of the site's many contributing writers. At the end of the posts, a related question will be posed to encourage readers to share their side of the story in the comment stream.

"I know it is difficult to ask someone to share something personal, perhaps even their deepest, darkest secrets. We also believe that we cannot expect people to open themselves up if we ourselves don't do it first.

"That is why we are sharing our honest account with you first on the site, and hope that in return, you can trust us with yours," explained Manesh.

To him, everyone has a story to share, and there is no rule to which experience constitutes a good story and or otherwise.

"I can say that a good story is about how you encounter some events that transformed you for the better, that sort of thing, but in truth, it doesn't work like this. You may be still stuck in the same old situation, facing the same frustrations, but you may have insights that speak to some people," said Manesh.

He also encourages everyone to look out for others and remind them that they have fascinating anecdotes that may benefit readers, because a lot of people do not realize that they have experiences worth sharing.

"I know a guy who is really good at taekwando, but his mates hardly respects him at all, because every time he hits someone he apologises. He'll be like (demonstrating a punch) 'Pow! Sorry, sorry. Pow! Sorry, sorry'. He doesn't realise how unique and interesting this is, and the same goes for a lot of people," said Manesh.

On whether there would be legal complications in the future if YGR uses others' stories to create a movie, Manesh explained that before readers can register to submit anything, they are required to agree on the terms and conditions that grant YGR the right to use whatever they contributed on the site.

"Ultimately, the spirit of YGR is to exchange our Malaysian experience, not simply taking your ideas to make a movie. If anyone minds their stories being used, then it's better if they don't submit anything and just enjoy the website," he reasoned.

On the way, Bro

With YGR being barely a month old (it took off on January 18 but was officially launched on January 27) and had little publicity, things are looking surprisingly good. The site is already recording about 20,000 page views and has about 1393 fans (and growing) on Facebook. 

Of course, the promising numbers could be due to the site's interesting reads.

Among the titles are "Brother from a Different Father" (a bible college student feeling a stronger bond with a Buddhist monk he just met than with his Christian classmate), "Heaven" (a Burmese fleeing his country, loves durian and calls Malaysia 'heaven'), "Bomoh and I" (a guy's encounter with a cataract-infected bomoh/palm-reader) and "Shortcuts to Hell" (a comedic guide to taking the short cut or the long way in dealing with life's various inconveniences).

"The response has been way better than what we expected. Of course, we are also pushing for more people to share their stories in the comment stream," he said.

Manesh urges young people to write in, as they are "bursting with ideas and have more to offer than they realise".

He understands that a lot of youths think that their experiences and opinions are probably not very interesting, and therefore not worth telling.

 "I don't know where young people get the idea that they don't have much to contribute! Perhaps it is the whole exam-based mentality that focuses on giving the right answers.

"My 17-year-old niece was telling me about a story idea that she has, and I was blown away by how brilliant it was. I was trying to come up with a similar concept, and her ideas just solved all the problems I had in mind.

"I also have a producer friend who lectures at a local college, and he does it simply because young people inspire him so much. Everyday my friend comes home with his head buzzing with ideas!" said Manesh with a laugh.

He opined that young minds are less inhibited, which is a wonderful trait in the creative business. He added that the most effective way to reach out to the audience is by being honest.

Frankly, good stories would shine through no matter how you present them.

"Our comment stream supports videos and images as well, so besides writing, you can contribute in any form you feel most comfortable with," explained Manesh.

"That is why YGR is such a precious platform for us. It doesn't just serve the needs of making the movie, but also a place for the talented to showcase their work," he added.

"You see some filmmakers always working with each other, some photographers and writers always working among themselves... and this is very limiting. If we can look past our differences and offer our strengths to each other, we can achieve greater heights," Manesh said.

And greater heights are exactly what the YGR is looking towards, as it seeks to redefine the traditional process of filmmaking by opening it up to the public - not only the script and the production, but also the funding.

"We want to do this Obama-style. If you believe in our project, you can contribute however much you want via our website," said Manesh, who is targeting to raise RM1 million to produce the YGR movie.

Other than funding and true stories, YGR also welcomes other forms of help. As its website says, "show us locations we should shoot in, or pictures that should inspire the look and feel. Video your auditions if you want to act. Compose music that you think would be suitable. Animate graphics that we could use. Weave, sculpt, knit, dance, paint, and the list goes on and on... There is room for every creative mind to be a part of this project."

So, will you see your life flash before you on a silver screen, and perhaps even your name on the credit roll? You decide. After all, this is Your Grandfather's Road mah.

Check out www.yourgrandfathersroad.com for more information, not to mention a dose of raw Malaysian goodness.

By Foong Li Mei

Pictures by: Foong Li Yen & Chot Touch