An extensive, multiple-episode documentary series on the making of Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu is gearing up to release soon.
Filmmaker Vivian Radhakrishnan is the director of the project which aims to present an in-depth look at the amount of work that went into the film which is the official submission for this year’s Oscars.
“It is an attempt to examine in detail the effort of every department involved in the film’s making, and provide insight for aspiring filmmakers and film students,” says Vivian, adding that it was a challenge to work with a tremendous amount of footage but fun nevertheless.
The team is planning to release up to eight episodes and then consider releasing more depending on the response to the initial set.
“There are around 40,000 clips. Since there is plenty of material, we looked at multiple possibilities to present them during the editing stage,” shares Vivian.
The filmmaker hopes it will change people’s perspective about documentaries. “The documentary format is still strange to many and is enjoyed only by a niche audience,” he observes.
“Only a few people enjoy the documentaries on Netflix, which are quite well-made and fascinating. We have tried to maintain the same standard in our work too.”
Editor Kiran Nath Kailas helped Vivian put together the footage.
Vivian concludes by saying that rather than looking it as a “documentary about the making of Jallikkattu” or as a medium for “defending” the film, he saw it more as a “documentation of the strenuous efforts behind cinema as a popular art form for which Jallikkattu served as a supreme example.”