Such scripts are written only for Kollywood. Believe it or not, critically-acclaimed recent Tamil movie Vazhakku Enn 18/9, telecast on a TV channel as a Vinayaga Chaturdhi special, stunned a Tiruppur family as the kid acting as a retarded neighbour of the heroine turned out to be their differently-abled boy, gone missing six years ago.
Knitwear mill worker Loganathan and wife Manjula rushed to Chennai and tracked the movie’s director Balaji Sakthivel, who led them to a government home for differently-abled kids, where the tearful reunion happened on Thursday. “Anbu is leaving our home now, restored to his parents who brought his childhood pictures, birth certificate and the ration card to prove he is their child,” state child welfare committee (CWC) chairperson Agnes Shanthi said.
The boy, now 12, had been living at the government Balavihar home in Egmore since 2006 after being picked up crying from some Chennai roadside.
He had come to the city with his family on a holiday and apparently strayed away. His family searched for him for long and returned broken-hearted.
“We suffered great agony all these years, repeatedly blaming ourselves for losing the mentally challenged kid. He was barely six and the fear that he might have ended up begging somewhere traumatised us.
Pillaiyar brought his movie before our eyes on his birthday (Chaturdi). Our daughter Kavitha is making big efforts to welcome her kid brother,” Loganathan said, his voice choking. He said he would try to admit Anbu in a school for special kids and ensure his happiness.
CWC member Sheila Charles is doubly happy because she was on the censor panel that had cleared Vazhakku Enn.