Documentary to showcase lives of unsung carrom players from north Chennai

Most of us would have played carrom at some point in life. But nobody knows about the serious side of the game and even the way it was represented in media hasn’t helped carrom gain popularity. Another aspect is that there are about 75 national-level carrom champions from North Chennai, including some who are international champions. To put these players in the spotlight, city-based advertising professional Satish Ganapathy is making a documentary titled White Slam: The Agony and The Ecstasy. The 45-minute documentary will chronicle the stories of two-time World Carrom Champion A Maria Irudayam and many other unknown carrom champions and players from north Chennai.

“The neighbourhood of north Chennai is blessed with many talented carrom players. Until a few years ago, people who aren’t associated with carrom didn’t know who Maria Irudayam was. When I met him a year ago, he told me stories about players who wanted to make it big in this game and also shared some interesting facts about the game.

Though many of these players struggle financially, their grit to win is something beyond words. Their stories led me to make a documentary on carrom players,” says director Satish. You cannot find any carrom player in Anna Nagar or Mylapore or Nungambakkam; all the players hail from North Chennai. We asked him if there is any reason behind this and he shares, “Even I was asking the same question to north Chennai residents. People here show a lot of interest in the game — you can see young children practising carrom in coaching centres from this area,” he reminisces.

The documentary that is in the post-production stage is produced by Ivy League Productions. “When Maria Irudayam won the second world title and returned to Chennai, no officials were present to welcome the champion. We are recreating this entire scene of his coming to Chennai in the documentary. Two months ago, he was appointed as the coach of the Indian Carrom team which is a huge achievement for a player from the city. We have also interviewed Bangaru Babu, the man the carrom community around the world respectfully calls the Father of Carrom,” Satish tells us.

Also, the ad filmmaker is visibly upset the way in which Tamil cinema has portrayed the game. “In most of the films, they show carrom as a game played by a rowdy or antagonist. I hope White Slam: The Agony and The Ecstasy will change the way in which we see carrom,” he remarks.