THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The lockdown days did not restrain Kochi-based filmmaker Ratheesh Ravindran from exploring his creative sides. The filmmaker has come out with a docu-fiction Sha Sa Ha that explores how Covid has affected people’s lives. The 40-minute-long documentary produced by his friend Sharmila Nair under Docu Art Productions was released on an OTT platform recently. Ratheesh, like many others, was feeling low during the lockdown. That is when Sharmila suggested he try something new, make a new film.
“As I was not able to go out and shoot, I revisited unused footage from my travels across the state in 2013. The footages include various people, including artists, who inspired me in my former journeys. I then asked them to share a self-narrative video shot on mobile phones about their present situations,” he says. “Sha Sa Ha is a filmmaker’s reflections on life and art and how the pandemic can affect and influence our lives and thoughts,” adds the cinematographer turned director.
The stories feature those who are affected by the pandemic and some who have moved on in life. “Artistes, business people, common men, teachers, artisans, all were affected by it. I also saw how life changed for one of the persons featured in the film — a Kottayam native who used to be a character actor in films. To adapt to the new situation, this year he started a restaurant,” Ratheesh adds. The filmmaker was inspired by Sathyaseelan, a blind teacher from Kasaragod, who pronounced the letters ‘Sha Sa Ha’ while being documented.
“They are the last three letters in the Malayalam alphabet and when combined with others they can create a new word. If we all support each other and stand together with compassion then we can also overcome these bad times,” he says. A postgraduate from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute Kolkatta, Ratheesh was active in the Bengal film industry as a cinematographer. He is now busy with his second feature film, Tamar.