KOCHI: There are many moments we cherish during our college days and some of them remain with us as evergreen memories. Jaya Jose Raj C L, who was a student of University College in the late 80s, treasures those joyous occasions on campus when prominent filmmakers of the time, such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Padmarajan, used to visit the college. They used to discuss topics related to filmmaking and script writing, which enticed Jaya.
“I was interested in filmmaking from the very beginning,” said Jaya, who is a filmmaker. “After conversing with the prominent people in the field and listening to their thoughts, I decided someday I will also produce a film. Meanwhile, I followed their films with religious zeal,” said Jaya, who started making films from the age of 22.
Despite having a government job, his passion for films did not diminish. In 1996, he came out with his first short film on the plight of Parvathy Puthanar, a canal in the state capital suffering from encroachment and waste dumping. Later, he made a documentary on pollution caused by plastic and won the state award for best documentary in the same year. He also won the Kerala State Television Awards for 2016 for the best director for his documentary ‘Khalasis of Malabar: Men Who Move Mountains’.
He is currently working on a feature film ‘Idam’ based on the subject of women. As the name suggests, the film focuses on the lives of mothers who are left behind as their children shift to another place.“I chose this subject because it is a part of my own experience,” Jaya said. “My brother and I were planning to shift to a new place and my mother wished to stay back in our ancestral home. I have seen many such mothers who hesitate to shift to another place.”
‘Idam’, is a feature film addressing the issues of women in old age. Women always find it difficult to find a space in society. As their children grow and find their own space and freedom, these old women are usually left alone. This shrinking space for senior women as stakeholders in building and maintaining families in the contemporary migrant society is the prime focus of the film, which is scripted and directed by Jaya.
In the film, the main protagonist is Bhanu, an old yet strong woman in her 70s living alone in her ancestral house. This role is played by Seema Biswas, the national award winning actor from Assam. The cast includes Hareesh Peradi, Abhija Shivakala, Anil Nedumangad, Leela Panikkar, Arumughan Alappuzha, Monisha Sagar, Joel Jobin, Nidhi R Raj and Amogh Krishnan.
The ‘Idam’ team comprises associate directors Biju V Sukumaran and Sivadas K K, assistant directors Keerthiraj B S, Kiran S Manjady and Soumya and DOP Prathap P Nair. Editing is by Manoj Kannoth, art by Kiran S Manjady and Firoz Nediyath and stills by Haarish Madhu. Jaya is working as a special tahsildar at the Civil Station in Kudappanakunnu.