KOCHI: As the sweltering heat gets more intense, by the year, it’s difficult to think of a world bereft of water. The makers of ‘Choodu’ have imagined just that, and they have translated that thought into a video song. It will hit the Internet today, which happens to be World Water Day.
The video focuses on an expanse of dry parched land, scorching heat that has rendered the fauna lifeless, and a man who takes stock of the situation. “He’s a farmer who’s also a traveller,” said Sheikh Ellahi, the director. “When the video begins, we show a line of five small bottles. These bottles are ancient temperature-gauging equipment. With every passing decade, one can see that the water collected in the bottle evaporates sooner than the previous year.”
The farmer has been observing this situation for over four decades, and has been disappointed at how nobody understands the gravity of the situation. “So he foresees what could happen and plants a placard in places stating, ‘This used to be a river’,” says Ellahi. “And he envisages a world in 2050 where people will turn barbarians and kill each other for water.”
The idea occurred to the team early last year, and the shooting was completed by May. “We waited for a year to release it because we wanted it to be timely,” said producer Suresh Rangi, who is also the protagonist.
While it’s easy to assume that the makers must have gone beyond the borders of Kerala to find the sun-baked land, they assure that they have shot the entire film within the state. “One cannot believe Kerala has dried up so much, right?” smiled Sheikh, adding that the locations are Palakkad, Kanjikode, Walayar and Shornur. “We ourselves were taken aback at the sight; our state is supposed to be among the less tortured ones, and yet this is what we are inching towards,” he said. “As for the river, we didn’t have to go anywhere else, but our very own Bharathapuzha which lay before us, all dried up.”
The music has been composed by Ellahi, who has previouly worked as the music director for the film ‘Apothecary’, while the song has been rendered evocatively by Najeem Arshad.
It will also be released in Tamil and Hindi. Jenson Joy, who has previously been part of actor Vinayakan’s dance troupe ‘Black Mercury’, and is currently working with actor-choreographer Lawrence, has handled the choreography. The video ends on an optimistic note, with a bunch of children, who symbolise hope. “We’re very thankful to the authorities at Bharatiya Vidya Mandir, Chithali, who were very supportive throughout the shoot. They let their students take part in the video, and all of their enthusiasm shone through the 43 degree heat on the day,” said the team.