Actor Fahadh Faasil and director Mahesh Narayanan can proceed with the shooting of their new film See You Soon, said director and producer B Unnikrishnan, general secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA).
The duo’s decision to shoot the film had caused some displeasure among the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA), which was of the opinion that new films should wait for pending ones to release first. There are 66 Malayalam films shot and ready for release, but stalled due to the lockdown necessitated by the spread of COVID-19.
However, both Fahadh and director Mahesh sent letters to FEFKA, explaining that the film is an experimental one and not meant for a theatre release. “They are not sure whether to call it a short or a feature film yet. It will be about 1 hour and 10 minutes long and there are certain specifications to call a feature film thus. When they finish the post production they will know the exact duration and whether to call it a short or a feature film. They are shooting it with an iPhone and it will be an experimental narrative. They say that it’s a way to negotiate the sheer inertia of COVID-19. Let artistes be innovative and break the monotony of lockdown. At least a few people will work in the film and that’s great. We are ok with it,” Unnikrishnan told TNM.
Representatives of KFPA were not available for comment.
Fahadh and Mahesh have earlier come together for the film Take Off, Mahesh turning from editor to director with the critically acclaimed movie about the plight of Malayali nurses stranded in a war-torn Gulf country waiting to come back to Kerala. Their second film together, Malik, is also among the completed films awaiting release.
Film shooting, production and screening had all stopped in Kerala on March 11, after the state government made a request to contain the spread of the pandemic. In the months that passed, the industry had suffered a loss of several hundred crores of rupees.
On June 1, the Kerala government had given approval for films and television shows to resume shooting indoors with limited number of members, while following all precautions against COVID-19. Though television serials have resumed shooting in these conditions, films had not followed suit.