Portrait of an actor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Actor Salim Kumar's life is soon to be turned into a documentary film.  Under the banner of Amrithasree Entertainment and Sign Film Society a short docu-film on the actor 'Frame to a Protagonist: Salim Kumar' will be released during Christmas time this year.The 40-minutes documentary,  directed by Anil Sign from Paravur, has been produced by Sivadasan Amrithasree. The switch on of the short docu-film was held on December 3.  Explaining why he chose to make the film,  director Anil says,  "Salim Kumar is a great actor, and deserves the position he enjoys in the Malayalam film industry. Not just because he is a good actor but also because he entered the film industry after facing several challenges and hardships."The documentary is expected to be send to a Television & Film Fest to be held December end, says Anil.  The film focusses almost entirely on the actor's childhood life, rather than his celebrity hood.The documentary will reveal how the actor's heart was initially into singing, and how that ambition was dropped. “Though Salim was talented in mimicry, he always wished to be a singer. He used to sing ‘Pulayanar maniyamma,’a very famous song in Malayalam, at every stage show and festival. Once his teacher made a disparaging comment about his singing, and that proved to be vital in his decision to start concentrating on mimicry. This eventually paved the way for his entry into films,” says Anil.“He struggled a lot in his childhood, as he hailed from a middle class family. He has reached such heights solely due to his hard-work.So, it was my dream to do a documentary on him, " says Anil, adding that the film was framed taking inputs from Salim's autobiography, which is yet-to-be published.“The documentary will be completed as soon as we include some more bytes from celebrities. One highlight is that Salim's son, Chandu Salim Kumar will be playing his father's childhood character in the film,” Anil says.