Like a caterpillar transforms from a pupa into a butterfly, Pupa, the 12-minute short-film, is about the journey of an artist to find his real identity. Written and directed by Fayas Jahan and produced by Jihas Jahan under the banner of Gooseberry Entertainment, the short-film takes viewers on a trip through the artist’s inner world. From a pupa, which symbolises a dark room, the movie shows the protagonist, who was left alone in a dark space and affected by the incompleteness of his existence, fight his mental conflicts and undergo a drastic yet beautiful change to embrace his real self, the person he always wanted to become. The movie also speaks boldly on gender rights and the stigma associated with it. “The aim was to narrate a complex subject in a simple but gripping manner,” said Fayas.
From the intensity with which the actors portray their roles to the stunning visuals and powerful editing, Pupa has everything to keep you glued to the screen.“The idea of Pupa came to me around one-and-a-half years ago. It was a photographic concept. I discussed it with my friend Jaber Naushad and we realised it had the scope to be a film,” said Fayas. It took 10 months to give the idea its final form. “Unlike focusing on the sufferings, I wanted to focus on his the happiness of the protagonist who finally achieves the confidence to adopt his real identity. If my work can help someone who is suffering in silence, it will be my biggest reward for the filmmaker in me,” said Fayas.
He said they wanted two characters, an artist and a teacher.”The teacher was someone who could beautifully narrate stories to children and for that, the team wanted a popular face. They zeroed in on Devika Rajendran. “I was captivated by her performance in ‘Sleeplessly Yours’, which was screened in the IFFK. We approached her and she agreed,” said Fayas.
“We adopted a controlled light unit functioned with proper guidance. We were able to create natural ambience artificially,” said Akhil, the DOP. Though the shooting went smooth, the pandemic hit post-production works. “Editing and sound mixing were done in different places and we communicated over the phone due to the travel curbs. Still, we came out with a beautiful product. Teamwork is Pupa’s backbone,” he said.
Prominent directors like Anil Radhakrishna Menon called and appreciated them , Fayas said. Noted director John Mahendran, the son of the renowned director Mahendran, also lauded their work. “He told me, ‘My father persuaded me to watch Malayalam films. When I grew up I gave him good movies to watch. He is no more. Had he been alive, I would have urged him to watch Pupa’,” said Fayas, quoting John Mahendran. “This made the director in me proud,” he said.