Bibin Krishna, yet another engineer from the tech world, joins tinsel town with Twenty One Gms , his directorial début. He joins the ranks of filmmakers Jude Anthany Joseph and Basil Joseph, two other techies who have made it in Mollywood.
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Currently busy with the post production work on his suspense thriller, starring Anoop Menon as a police officer, Bibin says that IT engineers like Basil were certainly an inspiration to become a filmmaker.
Although the script was ready four years ago, Bibin took time to hone his skills by working on short films. He feels the advantage of working in short films is that one can learn a great deal about various aspects of filmmaking, given that most short films are made on a shoestring budget.
Producer Rinish KP (left) and director Bibin Krishna on the set of ‘Twenty One Gms’
“So, one can learn editing, sound recording, shooting....it is a wholesome experience. In the meantime, one of the best things that happened was getting Rinish KN as producer. A fellow IT engineer, we knew each other as both of us are working in Infopark Kochi, and we also happen to hail from Kozhikode. When he heard the story, he decided to back the project. That was a big help as we were on the same page,” says Bibin.
Rinish, an entrepreneur, says that he always wanted to script and produce films. And when he read Bibin’s script, he enjoyed the twists and turns in the non-linear narrative.
He explains that although the story is about an investigation, it is also a family drama that unfolds in the backdrop of a thriller.
A poster of ‘Twenty One Gms’
“As soon as Anoop ettan (elder brother) heard the story of the whodunit in December 2020, he agreed to be on board. He suggested we begin shooting in January. We had a bound script and we were able to begin shooting within a span of 15 days,” says Bibin. Renji Panicker, Leona Lishoy, Anu Mohan and Ranjith are some of the others in the cast.
Shot by Jithu Damodar in Kochi and Vagamon, the movie’s shooting was completed by March, just before the second lockdown. With background score and music by Deepak Dev, the film’s lyricist is Vinayak Sasikumar.
Since it is a film by two newcomers, both Rinish and Bibin are keen on a theatrical release. “But, we will keep our options open since it depends on how the country is able to deal with the pandemic,” says Rinish.
