In this year-ender list, Sajin Shrijith looks at some of the notable breakouts in the filmmaking departments, aside from a few surprising performances from actors who are a few films old, with a predominant focus on the smaller-budgeted films.
Director
Nikhil Murali (Pranaya Vilasam)
Through Pranaya Vilasasm, debutant Nikhil Murali proved himself to be a filmmaker with a firm grip on emotions and humour. A story dealing with loss, grief, and closure, it featured Arjun Ashokan, Manoj KU, Anaswara Rajan, Hakkim Shahjahan and Mamitha Baiju. Being his maiden attempt, Nikhil was particular about making a heartwarming generation-spanning film that did justice to the story and characters. Formerly an ad filmmaker, Nikhil believes that if one makes something with pure intentions, everything else will automatically fall into place.
Actor
Chandunadh (Phoenix)
For the longest time, Chandhunadh got relegated to stiff or infinitely charismatic characters (in films such as Pathinettam Padi, Ini Utharam, and Malik). So when he shows up as a softie for a change and does it quite convincingly, forgetting his addition to this list is out of the question. It’s refreshing to see him exude an air of vulnerability in Phoenix, written by Midhun Manuel Thomas, whose writing was more impactful in the horror-heavy pre-interval portions. Despite its post-interval shortcomings, it must be said that the actor effectively conveyed the pain of an extremely vulnerable man in love who, in a moment of weakness, makes a wrong choice and continues to suffer its neverending consequences with no possibility for salvation. It must also be said that ditching the usual macho look of his earlier performances helped contribute to the softer persona.
Actor
Hakkim Shah (Pranaya Vilasam)
Anyone who has seen the Tamil feature Kadaseela Biriyani would know by now that Hakkim Shah is a force to be reckoned with. This year, we got a sense of this man’s varied range when he played a heartbroken man in two stages of his life. Unlike the opposite female character’s two casting decisions, Hakkim opted to play both versions of his character himself, transforming his physique to play 1) a young, fiery football player and 2) an aged, weary, and subdued autorickshaw driver forced to accept the hand that fate has dealt him, convincingly constructing a facade to mask his pain. The film ends on a powerfully poignant moment thanks to Hakkim’s soul-stirring performance.
Director
Nithish Sahadev (Falimy)
The debutant filmmaker’s ability to take daring risks can be attributed to his stint with filmmakers like Vipin Das and Jude Anthany Joseph. The Thiruvananthapuram native, now based in Kochi, started as an assistant director in Mudhugauv, the directorial debut of Vipin Das (Antakshari, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey), following which he worked with Jude Anthany (Om Shanthi Oshana, 2018) in Oru Muthassi Gadha. It was wise of Nithish to ditch the relatively darker approach he initially pondered for Falimy as the light-hearted option worked wonders in theatres. Falimy is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Director
Thamar K V (1001 Nunakal)
A massive fan of Iranian films, Thamar KV, through his debut 1001 Nunakal (streaming on SonyLIV) asks: Are some truths best kept hidden? Is 100% transparency practically possible in a relationship? Barring a few external scenes, 1001 Nunakal is primarily a chamber drama without a boring second, thanks to the competent turns from all the lead performers and the fluidity with which their conversations move from one scene to the next. Every actor wonderfully contributes in their own distinct way to the film, the casting choices of which are driven by the need for maintaining a sense of unpredictability. The risk of preconceived notions is absent here and the fresh casting choices work to the film’s advantage. 1001 Nunakal functions like two movies—or rather, one short movie and a big one—with the conflict of one clashing with that of the second.
Director
Jithu Madhavan (Romancham)
Vividity is a strong suit of director Jithu Madhavan’s debut feature, Romancham. It’s a mark of the detailing that went into the home of the film’s central characters. It’s also a mark of the character sketches. After I came out of the movie, it’s not the horror aspects that I remembered the most, but the faces of these characters and their perfectly timed interactions. They don’t give the impression of ‘actors’ who met for the first time; they convey the camaraderie of guys who have known each other for a long time and have been sharing a home for years. The level of detailing is such that you could almost smell their home. So when one learns that a Romancham spin-off titled Aavesham, starring Fahadh Faasil, is gearing up for release in early 2024, the accompanying excitement is self-explanatory, no?
Director
Stephy Zaviour (Madhura Manohara Moham)
With her directorial debut, costume designer Stephy Zaviour made a film that’s not aiming for intellectual depth, which is okay. It doesn’t take any sides. It shows that some people are wicked, regardless of gender. It has a leading female character responsible for all the chaos. But at the same time, it doesn’t paint the men as saints either, although it offers a modicum of redemption to a few male characters about whom we may have earlier had a wrong impression. It doesn’t try to find logical reasoning behind some characters’ behaviour. There is no attempt whatsoever to analyse their psychology. It simply wants to tell you that this is how some people are and this is what happens to some of them. The goal here is to give audiences a good time, even though not every writing choice works.