An attempt to fill the gaps that often appear while telling the stories of queer people — that is how filmmaker Jijo Kuriakose describes his Malayalam short film Velipadu — The Revelation.
In Kerala, in literature and cinema related to gender, sexuality or queer community, the first-person narrative is often missing, he feels. This is what ultimately pushed Jijo into filmmaking. And now, the queer filmmaker is basking in the awards his film has gathered from around the globe.
Velipadu, a coming-of-age story of a Malayali youngster, was featured in various film festivals worldwide, earning accolades on the way.
It received awards for Best Direction at the LGBTQ Toronto/LA Festival and the 7th Anna Bhau Sathe Short Film and Documentary Festival held at the National Institute of Film Archives, Pune. It was awarded Best Short Film (Critics’ Choice) at the 7th Golden Jury Film Festival, Mumbai, and received honourable mention (Short Film Section) at the 10th Ridgway Independent Film Festival in Colorado.
The film was also part of the 30th SPE (Society for Photographic Education) Media Festival’s official selection in Nevada in 2025, and many more are there.
The beginning of it was from a simple idea, a revelation so to speak. Art and literature have the power to have a long-term influence on people.
“Men can speak about women’s issues, but when women speak, there’s an added layer of politics — like speaking for ourselves versus speaking for others. That offers a different dynamic. And in queer-based stories in literature, queer characters are mostly at the receiving end of sexual violence, rejection, or social trauma. Stories of those who have survived or hold hope are rarely told. That’s when I began writing stories,” he explains.
Drawing from such narratives, one story eventually led to his short film Velipadu. He had the idea about the film during the Covid lockdown period. However, it took him a long time to find a producer and bring everything together. And the team was committed to ensuring proper representation of the queer community.
“After all the challenges, we finally completed the shooting and post-production works and held the first preview in Kochi during Pride Month (June) in 2024,” says Jijo.
The 25-minute flick brings Malayali queer desire to life by exploring the journey of a young gay man in Kerala. Johnny, a seminarian preparing to become a priest, finds himself caught between his faith and his quest for self-discovery.
The story follows Johnny, who finds himself in love with a man, yet is torn by the societal and religious pressures that make it hard for him to accept his identity. He is also engaged to a woman.
But as he comes to terms with his true self, Johnny must face the difficult decision of calling off the engagement, which ultimately, highlights his journey of self-acceptance.
Challenging common narratives, the story goes through themes like polyamory, while also showing the cultural nuances of gay intimacy in the Kerala context. The story, Jijo says, is a mix of personal experiences and fiction.
However, it was not an easy feat. There were moments when he doubted whether he could complete it, particularly as it was his first experience in filmmaking. “Convincing myself was the hardest part,” he says.
“But I wanted to create something authentic. When the movie Kaathal — The Core led to many discussions around Kerala, we also realised how homophobic some people are. Beyond activism, media, makeup, and fashion, we rarely see queer individuals in our daily lives — neighbourhoods or even office spaces. From language interventions to ground-level societal changes, a lot needs to happen. And discussing these issues through cinema, especially from a first-person perspective, is important.”
For Jijo, the short film is not just about representing the community through cinema, but about connecting to the cultural spaces of Kerala, which makes the process both exciting and challenging due to the increased scrutiny it invites.
“In the Kerala context, factors like caste, economic background, education, job status, unemployment, and disability all need to be addressed. That’s what we are trying to convey to the broader community. I know we can’t address every issue, but as an artist, I focused on what I can connect with and bring into the film. That was the core idea behind making this movie,” he explains.
Jijo handled the story, script, direction, and music in Velipadu. But this is not his maiden foray into the film world. He has directed a documentary, Njan Sanjo, which was about the life of a transgender man, Sanjo Steve.
Velipadu is now doing well in the festival circuit, he says. But he also hoped to showcase the film in colleges and cultural spaces in the state.
“But we didn’t receive much support. I don’t know why actually. But it feels like topics like religion, sexuality, and polyamory are still too hard for people to accept, perhaps due to religious sensitivity. However, we have been doing well on the festival circuit. So far, we have screened at 24 festivals and won six awards,” he smiles.
And Jijo is not done. “I really want to screen this movie in more spaces,” And this difficulty they are facing, he says, shows how much homophobia still exists in Kerala society.
