Directed by Baiju Thomas, one of the hostels, this Malayalam film was made during the lockdown and recently premiered on an OTT platform.
Two hours of feature film with 32 cameramen! Unlike the proverbial broth spoiled by so many cooks, NS prisonersThe Malayalam film which released on 1 October on the OTT platform www.bcineet.com is a celebration of friendship. Thirty-two people in their late fifties from all over the world came together to make the film directed by film director Baiju Thomas. Baiju was the director of the films muthu kudayum bangle (1989) and padaliputram and serials.
The film stars the entire cast as themselves, beginning with the prayer of its former warden Alexander Jacob, who retired as DGP. The joy de vivre and camaraderie he experienced during its making comes alive as he recounts the circumstances that culminated in the film.
About 40 years ago, all of them were hostels at St. Thomas Hostel, Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram. He did his pre-degree, as it was known as Plus Two, between 1980-82 and lived as a family for two years.
One of the older boys, Sabu Thomas, now a software engineer and enterprising architect in the US, says, “After the pre-degree, we went our way. I came to America for my studies and lost contact with most of them. During the lockdown, I tried to find out the 60 hostellers with whom we had many memorable days. Each of us was in touch with four or five men and soon most of us were on a WhatsApp group. “
rekindling friendship
Most were eager to renew the bonds they formed in their teens. They decided that the group would have no forwards but only voice messages. “Soon, we became acquainted with each other’s voices and what everyone else was doing. We literally met and kept in touch. Zoom meetings became a regular feature. Since we lived on different continents, time zones meant that only a few of us were at work on certain days. Still, we took the time to catch up,” recalls Mahesh Nair, an auditor in Kuwait.
A still from the film ‘The Inmates’, showing the 32 hostels of St. Thomas Hostel, Mar Ivanios College, who lived there between 1980-82. photo Credit: special arrangement
Many of them remember that they were surprised to see the changes in each other. During one such meeting, Dr. Aji Koshi, a dentist in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, joined him while in his clinic. He could not be identified in his mask and PPE kit until he identified himself as Aji.
That’s when Baiju thought he had a conspiracy thread to make a film. He asked his friends if they were game for a film shot during the lockdown. “It was an idea about identity theft, which has assumed alarming proportions in many countries. Since I had already worked in cinema, I knew what to do and they all trusted me,” Baiju, who now teaches screenwriting and direction in the US.
Those wishing to act in the film were asked to record their own scenes and come up with their own dialogues. Baiju told them the topic they had to talk about and then improvised.
“Baiju’s first film was released in theaters in the late eighties, while many of us were still pursuing our higher education. We put our trust in him. Though we had no idea what the story was about, each of us acted out our own scenes. The scenes were shot by our family members,” says Dr Oommen MG, a homeopathy doctor in Kozhikode.
Sanil Raj Johnson, former academic dean of St Thomas’ College, Thrissur, described how he was asked to talk about crypto currency, while another person narrated how he had lost money in a fraud. Yet another friend spoke about her attraction to the late actor Jayan.
“We wondered how he would turn it all into a story,” recalls Mahesh.
Since most of them were in senior positions in their workspace, Baiju did not want any of them to play the role of a villain. One of his hostel mates, an Indian Administrative Service officer also did not act as he was not sure about the service rules regarding such work. “So, I decided to play the villain. The story begins during one of the Zoom meets when some friends learn that a fraudster has replaced their friend Baiju. Concerned about what happened to her, they launch an investigation to find out the truth,” Baiju explains.
Film director Baiju Thomas in a scene from the film ‘The Inmates’, which houses 32 hostels of St. Thomas Hostel, Mar Ivanios College, who lived there between 1980-82. photo Credit: special arrangement
At the end of the shooting effort, Baiju had about 90 hours of sequences to make for a film. In January 2021, he came to Thiruvananthapuram for editing, colouring, re-recording etc. He says it should be the only film that has at least five people, including Srijit Srivilas as associate director, Sabiraj Kunnil as makeup consultant and Nitish Kichu as editor.
Baiju has also cast some of his friends’ family members in the film. A song written by late S Ramesan Nair, composed by Darshan Raman and sung by KJ Yesudas, to be used in Baiju’s film. Padaliputram, Was used at a crucial moment in the film.
Chennai-based entrepreneur Vinod Kumar says: “When the film released, we were amazed to see how it turned out, with a song by Yesudas. I met Baiju when he had come to Chennai for post-production work and we shot a few scenes in his house. Since all the camerapersons and actors living in more than 20 countries were amateurs, we never expected a film like this. “
Sabu says that the experience evokes nostalgia for the hostel mates as the hostel building has been replaced with an auditorium.
Currently, excited Baiju is planning to send NS prisoners This type of film for film festivals will be a unique experience for the audience.