The lives we lead are complex, and despite appearances, everyone is in it for their own gain.
This is one of the core philosophies explored in Ordinary People , a short film written and directed by Anand P.S.
Relationships feature heavily in the roughly 11 minute long film, which depicts love and desire in various forms through different relationships: one stable, one finding its feet, one on the verge of collapse and one founded on the basis of money.
The non-linear structure adopted by the narrative slowly reveals the relationships the various characters share; and the undercurrents of society where almost everyone uses other people for personal gain.
“This is my second short film, and I wanted to try and make it non-linear, as that is not a concept which has been explored often in this format. Despite our limitations, the film has been shot in as professional a manner as possible,” says 23-year-old Anand, who has also penned the dialogue for the film and is now working as an assistant to Sajid Yahiya in his upcoming film IDI - Inspector Dawood Ibrahim .
The aforementioned professionalism is evident in the way Ordinary People looks, with director of photography Bineesh Viswam’s long sweeping shots adding a visual splendour to the intentionally tangled web that the story weaves. Anand’s characters paint contrasting pictures, with the poor couple that pushes carts of clothes and snacks radiating a simple happiness while the youngsters in a new relationship unabashedly admit to each other the shallowness of their relationship, all this while the casually aloof sex worker goes about her business with more than one of the committed men in the story. The harsh realities in the lives of ordinary people, it would seem.
The film, produced by K.K. Sudarsan, stars Sree Nath, Chithira Lakshmy, Samarth Ambujakshan, Sreelakshmi Sreekumar, Manu Thomas, Sruthy Madhavan, Manmadhan and Lakshmipriya Menon in the main roles.
