Influenced by movie, Kerala schools to remove backbenchers through a new seating arrangement

Thiruvananthapuram: The makers of a Malayalam film are thrilled as their film is has inspired many schools to do away with back benches altogether. However, this revolution isn't just happening in Kerala but across other states as well.

Influenced by the film 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan' in which benches are arranged in u-shape in a classroom to do away with the insult that back-benchers face, at least seven schools in Kerala and one school in Punjab already implemented the u-shape seating arrangement.

Now the Tamil Nadu government is also reportedly making such a move.

"My excitement has no limits as my directorial debut movie is receiving such a response," says the film's director Vinesh Viswanath.

He never thought that a scene he created out of his own experience as a school student would become the turning point. As part of the District Primary Education Programme an u-shape seating arrangement was introduced in schools for some time. In his class also such a system was introduced. That made Viswanath include such a scene in the film.

Paucity of space in classrooms could be the reason why the u-shape system did not sustain, says Viswanath.

Viswanath said that it was Ramavilasom vocational higher secondary school at Valakom in Kollam district, which is managed by transport minister K B Ganesh Kumar's family, that first changed the seating system now. Six other schools in Kerala and one school in Punjab subsequently implemented it and now it is learnt that the Tamil Nadu government would be instructing all schools to follow it.

Even as the film was released in 55 theatres in November 2024 and received good response, the film was soon taken off from the majority of theatres following the release of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. Later the film was released on OTT platform Saina. After the reports regarding the film influencing schools to change the seating arrangement the film's viewership on OTT started increasing drastically.

Thirty-one year old Viswanath had earlier brought out six short films and assisted in one film. 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan's' cast include Aju Varghese and Saiju Kurup and Nishanth Pilla and Muhammad Rafi are the producers.