Directed by Vivian Radhakrishnan, the series features behind-the-scenes moments from ‘Jallikattu’, India’s official entry for Oscars 2021.
It’s been three years since Lijo Jose Pellissery came to an amazing cinematic experience Jallikattu (2019). With a simple story – a buffalo runs away from a slaughterhouse and an entire village tries to chase it – the vagabond director explores the vagaries of the human mind in its rawest form, blurring the distinction between man and animal. Gave. India’s official entry for the film was Oscar 2021.
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Bringing home all the action behind the making of this globally acclaimed film is an eight-part documentary series, molten mirror, directed by Vivian Radhakrishnan. A 14-minute “early episode” has been released on YouTube to give a glimpse into the series.
Vivian says: “The series is neither about the film nor about the genius of Lijo Jose Pellissery. We are showing how an art [form] Cinematography, says Vivian, takes shape by covering various aspects like art, sound, artist, junior artist, terrain, place, people. The effort put in by each department has been phenomenal.
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It was Lijo herself who brought her on the ship Jallikattu. A fashion designer/photographer and filmmaker, Vivian says the offer came at an important stage in her life. She had made two films, both with new faces, but could not release them. “I was very disappointed that I had decided to leave the field. But then I showed Lizzo the trailer of the second film. animate And it finally changed my luck, ”says Vivian.
Vivian says that till a few years back he had no plans to become a filmmaker. “I worked with a company in Bengaluru for some time before launching Dirty Heads, a unisex clothing brand, in 2013. I did photography to promote the brand. Meanwhile, I saw second show [directed by Srinath Rajendran] and was inspired by its creation. I decided to try my hand at films. A friend who saw my first movie (onnam bhagam, 2017) advised me to watch Anurag Kashyap’s films and eventually inspired me to do Rajeev Ravi and Lijo’s work animate,” he adds.
When he joined the sets, he had no plans to make a series. Jallikattu. “Lijo” animateIn essence the making was to be documented in a way that would be useful to ordinary filmmakers and technicians. But once the work started, we knew that a documentary could not do justice to such an original work. Initially we had around 40,000 video clips!” says the 34-year-old from Shoranur. While the film was shot for 42 days, Vivian worked on it for almost 60 days.
behind the scenes
Shot in and around Kattappana in Idukki, the film had locals as junior actors. There were about 2,000 of them, mainly in the scenes towards the climax. He further added, “Coordinating the scenes with the crowd was not easy and we have captured the moments which are raw and real.”
In the introductory episode some of these actors are talking about shooting in the cold, early morning. Their endurance was tested, especially toward the stunning climax, where they form a human pyramid, covered in mud from head to toe. Many were left with bruises, some fell ill…. Fight scenes and animatronic buffalo making are also included in the episodes. “Lijo” animate Gave me the freedom to capture their mood too!” says Vivian.
This series has been in the making for almost three years. Instead of taking forte of the director, cast and crew, Vivian, who is also the cinematographer of the series, has used excerpts from his interviews given to various media. Kiran Nath Kailas is the editor and Arun Nath Kailas has written the script. The sound design is done by Jesswin Mathew and Aashiq KM is associate director
Vivian says the series has changed his outlook towards life and cinema. Now he plans to make more documentaries and has already zeroed in on some of the themes taken from life. “I have never seen human behavior and people in general so closely. I am thrilled that we have turned ordinary people into heroes.”
He is excited that the episode is getting appreciation from all sides. “[Director] Karthik Subbaraj messaged that after watching the episode he is watching the film again. We want to bring it on OTT platform. lijo animate It always says that if you do something then it is new or else don’t do it. I stick to that,” he says.
Watch the introductory episode on YouTube.
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