Vinod and Vinod a.k.a. Vinod Jayakumar and Vinod Vijayakumar, scriptwriters of Salt Mango Tree, on their recipe for success

Success tastes sweet for Vinod Jayakumar and Vinod Vijayakumar. They are the debutant scriptwriters of Rajesh Nair’s Salt Mango Tree, which is currently having a successful run at the box office. Christened Vinod and Vinod by the makers of the movie, the writers–cum–IT professionals who hail from the capital city, are savouring every moment of having fulfilled a dream.
While Vinod Jayakumar works with a firm in Technopark, Vinod Vijayakumar works in Bengaluru. Their friendship goes back to Sainik School, Kazhakuttam, where they were classmates from class six to 12. “Incidentally our mothers were also classmates in college. Thus we share a special bond that has remained intact,” say the duo.
And so, even though they studied engineering in different colleges, they got together whenever they could. “We had many topics to discuss. Only, we have totally different opinions on all subjects! We don’t even agree on our favourite actors and writers. But even amidst all our arguments, movies and everything related to cinema, was a passion that we shared,” says Vinod Jayakumar.
As they found themselves getting more and more drawn to cinema, they decided to try their hand at writing. However, it wasn’t easy. “We don’t have a background in films and, initially, we didn’t even know whom to contact to get a foothold in the industry. Also, we had very little idea about the craft of scriptwriting. In the meantime, we had to concentrate on our careers as well. So we waited till we were well settled,” says Vinod Vijayakumar.
The turning point was when they met sound engineer M. R. Rajakrishnan through a common friend. “He suggested some people whom we could get in touch with and that really helped. He is more like a mentor for us,” he says.
Thus, some six years ago they plunged into scriptwriting. Guidance came from online tutorials on scriptwriting. In spite of the fact that one of them (Vinod Vijayakumar) was in Chennai and the other here in the city, they spent hours on the phone discussing scripts. “The going was tough with some opportunities slipping by at the last minute,” say the duo. After a long wait, they got their first break,Akashvani, starring Vijay Babu and Kavya Madhavan. Though the movie hasn’t reached theatres yet, the film got them in touch with Rajesh and thus Salt Mango Tree happened.
The movie is a commentary on the education system and is laced with humour. It’s about the scramble to get admission to an English medium school, which turns out to be an acid test for the parents. The protagonist Aravind T. P. (Biju Menon), who runs a medical shop, and wife Priya (Lakshmi Chandramouli) get caught up in the system as they try to secure admission for their only son, Manu. “It is adapted from a Bengali short story. We have reworked it to suit the tastes of the audience. As parents, we both have had our share of experiences on this front!” says Vinod Vijayakumar.
The duo, who has also written the dialogues for the movie, is happy that the film struck a chord with the audience. “There weren’t enough footfalls in the theatres initially. But gradually the word got around and we are extremely happy that families are coming in. The fact that we don’t have the same viewpoint on anything really helped. That brings balance to our scripts. Conflicts led to better rapport,” they say.
It is quite ironic that the duo wanted to write thrillers and ended up writing a family story. But they aren’t complaining and are waiting to repeat their success.