With the curtains all set to go up on the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram, one work that has already garnered attention is the short film Midnight Run .
Expectations are riding high about the short as it brings together some well-known names in the Malayalam film industry. In the cast is two-time National Award winning director Dileesh Pothan and state award-winner Chethan Jayalal of Guppy -fame. Behind the scenes are state award winners like cinematographer Gireesh Gangadharan and sound designer Renganaath Ravee, and editor Kiran Das, who worked in the brilliant Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum .
‘Keeping her fingers crossed is its director Remya Raj. “I don’t know any of them well enough to bring them on board. Things just fell in place,” says Remya, an associate of Sibi Malayil for many years now. “I had announced my first independent project, Vambathi , with Fahadh Faasil in the lead. But that didn’t take off. That’s when I came across this story and decided to do it. This is a part of the journey to become a filmmaker,” she says. The story is by B.T. Anilkumar, the writer of Prithviraj’s next project, Kaaliyan .
Short and intense Dileesh Pothan and Chethan Jayalal in a still from Midnight Run; (below) Remya Raj
“The narrative zooms in on fear. It is an emotion that can cripple a person. But what about the person who tries to scare you? Perhaps, he or she is trying to overcome fear. The film is essentially about how fear can transform a person,” she explains. The events unfold at night. A young labourer (Chethan), hitches a ride in a lorry. He fails to strike a rapport with the driver (Dileesh) and the explosive ambience forebodes that the boy is in danger.
“We had initially approached Alencier Ley Lopez to essay the driver’s role. But he didn’t know driving! We were not sure whether Dileesh would do it because then he was busy with the post production work of Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum . But he liked the script and came on board. In fact, he worked on Thondimuthalum... during the day and joined our set at night,” Remya says.
Remya Raj
As for bringing in Gireesh, Remya says that he is a master when it comes to shooting night scenes. He raced against the deadline and finished the shoot before joining Bejoy Nambiar’s Solo , she adds. She also gushes about the soundscape created by Renganaath and his team. “We had a tough time with the sound design. Renganaath had to record the sound of a lorry moving at different speeds. Use of music was kept to the minimum,” she says. Produced by Satheesh Eriyalath, the film has music by Shankar Sarma.
Midnight Run, 14 minutes long,will be screened at Nila theatre on July 21 at 6.30 pm.
