The theme might be clichéd but the Malayalam short film Sakshi stands out for its technical intensity. Not surprising for the film, which is up on YouTube, it is created by a group of youngsters who have all taken baby steps in cinema.
The 11-minute film, which has a flower bud as its narrator, talks about old age and how the elderly are neglected. The film shows how families find very little time for children or the aged. It also spells out the truth that old age is inevitable. The film hinges on the relationship between a young boy and his grandmother. The boy’s parents are the other main characters.
Directed by Bibin Balan for Wonder Frames Entertainment the film is the coming together of a group of friends, most of them students of Amrita School of Visual Media Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
“This film is our portfolio. We always wanted to do a film together and Sakshi is a dream come true. It took us just three days to complete the film but years to really get together. This happened because most of us were busy in our own little way in the industry,” says Bibin, who has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues.
Sagar who has played the role of the boy’s father earlier played notable roles in the Malayalam film Mallanum Mathevanum and the Tamil film Oru Oru Raja Mokka Raja . He also worked as assistant to director Lenin Rajendran. Bindu Ramakrishnan, Divya, Murukan and John complete the list of actors. Cinematography that is a highpoint of the film is by Rajeesh Bhasskaran who has worked with Amal Neerad in Iyobinte Pusthakam and 5 Sundarikal . Ayoob Khan, who has edited films like Drishyam , Life of Josutty and Papanasam has done a tidy job in Sakshi . The other members of the technical crew are Ashish Chinnappa (Design and Associate Direction), Francis C. David (Sound), Vipin Das (Costume Design), Vibin Ashok (Background Score), Adhin G Mohan (Graphics) and Vysakh Krishnan, Biju Balan (Producer).
“This is our first independent venture, a first step in this industry. We have begun work on the script for a feature film. We are also the line producers for Kukku Surendran’s new project,” says Bibin.
