Cinestaan Curates: Invisible Wings inspires us to seize the moment

KR Vijayan and his wife Mohana are a most unusual and spirited couple. Running a humble tea shop in a quiet corner of God’s own country, Kerala, the couple has a traveller’s zeal and does not let the lack of funds stand in their way. The short documentary by Hari M Mohanan is the story of Vijayan and his wife, who do not let anything come in the way of them fulfilling their dreams.

According to a news report in 2019, the couple had travelled to 25 countries overseas, with New Zealand being the 25th country. Their trip to Australia and New Zealand was sponsored by industrialist and philanthropist Anand Mahindra, who read about them on a travel blog by popular traveller Drew Binsky.

In the documentary, Vijayan talks about his desire to travel, saying, “I want to see this world”. Although he harbours a simple desire, Vijayan, being a humble tea seller, did not have the funds for it. But despite his social and economic condition, through his sheer spirit and the strength of his will, he travels far and wide, with his wife as his constant companion.

The film features the couple at the centre of the narrative as Vijayan talks about his voyages, desire to travel and his outlook towards life which enables him to take all hurdles in his stride. Vijayan’s indomitable spirit shines through in the film as he does not let things bother him too much. Even though he has loans to repay, for him, the desire to experience life is the most precious. And while many of us may have plans for the future, Vijayan’s philosophy of life is to just act upon one’s plans at the earliest. As he says, "We have only one lifetime to do everything."

Vijayan’s outlook is both humbling and inspiring. For him, experiences are precious and he cherishes his memories as being his most prized possessions. Invisible Wings encourages us to assess our own lives and reflect upon what makes us feel alive. They say if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Well, Vijayan and Mohana just seize the day and live every moment to the fullest. In a post-pandemic world when we have all witnessed the uncertainty that tomorrow brings, we can all draw inspiration from them.

Invisible Wings won the Filmfare award in the Best Film - Non-Fiction category in 2018.

The short film has been uploaded on the Copybook Films YouTube channel.