Critically acclaimed Malayalam director Blessy, who has notched up several awards for his films, is blazing a new trail with his first documentary film. Spanning 48 hours and 10 minutes, the documentary 100 Years of Chrysostom has entered the Guinness Book of World Records recently for being the longest docu-film in the world.
It captures the multi-dimensional personality of centenarian Most Reverend Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, who is the Emeritus Head of the two-century-old Mar Thoma Syrian Church based in Kerala which has millions of followers across the world. The spiritual leader turned 100 on April 27, 2018, and was honoured with the Padma Bhushan the same year. Excerpts from an interview with the filmmaker on the making of 100 Years of Chrysostom.
What compelled you to make this docu-film? Did you consider the risks of shooting with someone close to 100 years old?
It was almost a decade after my first meeting with him in 2005 that I decided to make a documentary film on Thirumeni (a name used to address spiritual leaders reverentially in Kerala). He was 98 years of age when we started shooting the film and his VIP status unnerved me. Our primary concern was his health and how he would cope with the rigours of travelling to locations extending from Delhi to Kanyakumari. Even when he had to be hospitalised in the ICU while on location once, his concern was about the upsets it would cause to the unit and shooting.
Was it a daunting task making this biopic?
When it comes to my films, I dream larger than life. However, on the subject of Thirumeni, the Guinness Record was never my goal. What daunted me was unfolding the many layers that made up this great man. I decided that the three-hour formula won’t work for him.
What make up the contents?
I have divided the documentary in three segments. The first is a 1-1/4-hour-long biography that traces his life-story juxtaposed with historical events. The next, ‘100 Celebrities vs a Legend’, details Thirumeni in conversation with 100 personalities handpicked from different walks of life. The list includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi among political stalwarts, celebrities from sports and entertainment, writers, religious heads and spiritual gurus, a barber, a cook, a railway porter and transgenders. The last, ‘Golden Words and Classic Lines’, has 10 noted artists wielding their brushes to capture Thirumeni’s art of story-telling. I can assure you there is never a dull moment with him.My associates in this project include the biggest names in the film industry —superstar Mohanlal who lent his voice for the narrations, music composers M Jayachandran and Stephen Devassy and singer K S Chitra.
The film has also been sub-titled in English.
You’d said you were transformed by the end of the project. Can you elaborate?
It took me five years to complete this docu-film and I put everything else on hold for this. But at the end of the day, the time spent with Thirumeni has changed me. I have become less obsessive of myself and my needs now.