KOCHI: Kochi-based Budget Lab Productions has been a boon to many aspiring directors with its ‘Malayalam Short Film Production Contest’. The short films selected in the third season of the contest were released recently. ‘Artist’, one of the shortlisted films directed by techie Tony James, has been garnering critical acclaim for its depiction of a veteran artist and teacher in his final days.
Krishnan Potti, Nitha Promy, Ajay Gopinath and Madona Mendez form the cast of the short film. “Though he is in his final days, the daughter of the artist is trying hard to keep him happy. She has set up his bedroom with many paintings, an ideal setting for any artist. The old art teacher wanted to meet his favourite student Rajeev Menon. So his daughter gets in touch with Rajeev who visits his professor. He gifts the dying man his portrait. The daughter is relieved as she could fulfil her father’s wish,” says Tony. He had sent three of his stories for the contest and they chose ‘Artist’. “The short film has a distinct subject when compared to the others released in previous seasons. “The producer, Nishant Pillai, was very impressed by the plot. The jury wanted one of the short films to have a unique content which could be sent to short film festivals,” adds Tony.
According to him, every artist loves to live in a world of colours. “As a designer, I have an affinity for colours. Hence, I wanted to write a script that is based on the life of an artist. The portrait of the artist which is gifted to the master in the film was drawn by my friend.” The shoot was completed in three days but the production got delayed due to Covid-19 lockdown.
“Though I have done small films on a mobile phone, this one was challenging. It was a new experience for the crew too. Finding the right location and setting up the room of the artist was most taxing. Luckily, we found a house and the residents cooperated. The shooting didn’t go as planned in the first two days, so we were under pressure on the final day.
The Covid-19 lockdown gave us ample time for post-production,” says Tony. Alax Tharakan cranked the camera, editing was done by Toovi Ikara and music by Aloysious Ajay.Tony affirms that he and his team are getting good responses from the viewers. “The feedback has been encouraging. Though Krishnan Potti has acted in movies and serials, he says this role has earned him the best responses till date. Also, many are visiting his house to get a glimpse of the portrait,” says Tony.