<p>At a bustling Indian market, a child labourer carrying bags of flowers was captivated by cameramen riding huge cranes during film shoots. Two decades later the boy has become his country's latest cinematic sensation.</p>.<p>P S Vinothraj's low-budget debut movie 'Koozhangal' -- internationally known by its translated title 'Pebbles' -- has been selected as India's entry to the international feature film category at next year's Oscars.</p>.<p>The 32-year-old drew from his family's battle with poverty and his sister's experience of marital abuse to tell the story of an alcoholic father and his young son walking through a barren, unforgiving landscape in his home state of Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/koozhangal-film-festivals-and-the-simplicity-trap-1050201.html" target="_blank">'Koozhangal': Film festivals and the simplicity trap</a></strong></p>.<p>"My real-life experience gave me toughness and has helped in this film. That kind of life has become the film," Vinothraj told <em>AFP</em>.</p>.<p>The result is an observational drama Indian critics have described as a "masterpiece" and a "sensational debut... that is evocative, visceral and powerful".</p>.<p>It won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, with the jury saying the "seemingly simple and humble" effort was a "lesson in pure cinema".</p>.<p>Vinothraj joins an emerging movement of Tamil directors -- many from disadvantaged backgrounds like his own -- addressing societal inequities through the voices and lives of everyday people.</p>.<p>Had it not been picked up by the festival circuit his original plan was to show "Pebbles" in the villages where it was shot -- with fewer than 40 actors and crew.</p>.<p>It is the culmination of the young filmmaker's long journey to the big screen.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/why-koozhangal-is-the-right-pick-for-oscars-1045562.html" target="_blank">Why 'Koozhangal' is the right pick for Oscars</a></strong></p>.<p>He started selling flowers in Madurai at the age of nine to support his family after his father died.</p>.<p>"So much has happened in my life and those things have made me ready for this," he said through a translator.</p>.<p>"I don't speak English nor do I have an education. Life's journey has taught me everything. Those are the metaphors in the film -- that is life's journey."</p>.<p>Vinothraj worked throughout his childhood and teenage years, moving to different towns and cities.</p>.<p>At one point, he was a labourer at a textile company in Tiruppur, where he "witnessed many people's lives being ruined in front of my eyes" over personal and financial woes.</p>.<p>"Some got married very young and went through multiple struggles. All of that stayed with me, wanting to express those struggles."</p>.<p>Believing that education could help him fulfil his dream of becoming a director, the aspiring auteur tried to go back to school but was told he was too old.</p>.<p>He eventually moved to the state capital Chennai and broadened his cinematic knowledge by watching movies while working at a DVD store, before getting work as an assistant on short films and in theatre.</p>.<p>As he sought ideas for his first feature film, Vinothraj's sister walked through the door of the family home, crying, her two-year-old child in her arms.</p>.<p>She had been forced out of her marital home by her husband and made the 13-kilometre (eight-mile) journey back on foot.</p>.<p>"I had pain and I wondered why real life is such a struggle. And I realised, I am in the cinema -- that's my tool. I can talk about my pain through cinema."</p>.<p>The father-and-son journey in "Pebbles" is told through the eyes of the child, while Tamil Nadu's harsh rural environment and the toll it takes on his characters is a central theme of the film.</p>.<p>The title comes from a synonym Tamils use for hills -- and the stones country-dwellers put in their mouths to ward off thirst on long journeys.</p>.<p>"To know that this film has won the Tiger Award and is being sent as India's entry to the Oscars, I feel very proud," Vinothraj said.</p>.<p>"Watching this film with an audience that has been so supportive, it feels like a big celebration for me."</p>.<p>His next project is also inspired by a family situation, and he wants to keep making "simple, honest stories about life".</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>
<p>At a bustling Indian market, a child labourer carrying bags of flowers was captivated by cameramen riding huge cranes during film shoots. Two decades later the boy has become his country's latest cinematic sensation.</p>.<p>P S Vinothraj's low-budget debut movie 'Koozhangal' -- internationally known by its translated title 'Pebbles' -- has been selected as India's entry to the international feature film category at next year's Oscars.</p>.<p>The 32-year-old drew from his family's battle with poverty and his sister's experience of marital abuse to tell the story of an alcoholic father and his young son walking through a barren, unforgiving landscape in his home state of Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/koozhangal-film-festivals-and-the-simplicity-trap-1050201.html" target="_blank">'Koozhangal': Film festivals and the simplicity trap</a></strong></p>.<p>"My real-life experience gave me toughness and has helped in this film. That kind of life has become the film," Vinothraj told <em>AFP</em>.</p>.<p>The result is an observational drama Indian critics have described as a "masterpiece" and a "sensational debut... that is evocative, visceral and powerful".</p>.<p>It won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, with the jury saying the "seemingly simple and humble" effort was a "lesson in pure cinema".</p>.<p>Vinothraj joins an emerging movement of Tamil directors -- many from disadvantaged backgrounds like his own -- addressing societal inequities through the voices and lives of everyday people.</p>.<p>Had it not been picked up by the festival circuit his original plan was to show "Pebbles" in the villages where it was shot -- with fewer than 40 actors and crew.</p>.<p>It is the culmination of the young filmmaker's long journey to the big screen.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/why-koozhangal-is-the-right-pick-for-oscars-1045562.html" target="_blank">Why 'Koozhangal' is the right pick for Oscars</a></strong></p>.<p>He started selling flowers in Madurai at the age of nine to support his family after his father died.</p>.<p>"So much has happened in my life and those things have made me ready for this," he said through a translator.</p>.<p>"I don't speak English nor do I have an education. Life's journey has taught me everything. Those are the metaphors in the film -- that is life's journey."</p>.<p>Vinothraj worked throughout his childhood and teenage years, moving to different towns and cities.</p>.<p>At one point, he was a labourer at a textile company in Tiruppur, where he "witnessed many people's lives being ruined in front of my eyes" over personal and financial woes.</p>.<p>"Some got married very young and went through multiple struggles. All of that stayed with me, wanting to express those struggles."</p>.<p>Believing that education could help him fulfil his dream of becoming a director, the aspiring auteur tried to go back to school but was told he was too old.</p>.<p>He eventually moved to the state capital Chennai and broadened his cinematic knowledge by watching movies while working at a DVD store, before getting work as an assistant on short films and in theatre.</p>.<p>As he sought ideas for his first feature film, Vinothraj's sister walked through the door of the family home, crying, her two-year-old child in her arms.</p>.<p>She had been forced out of her marital home by her husband and made the 13-kilometre (eight-mile) journey back on foot.</p>.<p>"I had pain and I wondered why real life is such a struggle. And I realised, I am in the cinema -- that's my tool. I can talk about my pain through cinema."</p>.<p>The father-and-son journey in "Pebbles" is told through the eyes of the child, while Tamil Nadu's harsh rural environment and the toll it takes on his characters is a central theme of the film.</p>.<p>The title comes from a synonym Tamils use for hills -- and the stones country-dwellers put in their mouths to ward off thirst on long journeys.</p>.<p>"To know that this film has won the Tiger Award and is being sent as India's entry to the Oscars, I feel very proud," Vinothraj said.</p>.<p>"Watching this film with an audience that has been so supportive, it feels like a big celebration for me."</p>.<p>His next project is also inspired by a family situation, and he wants to keep making "simple, honest stories about life".</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>