The white and blue NASA sweatshirt shows that NASA Director Arun Chandu said this. Skywalker, He is a space enthusiast. The success of the film at the box office has put him on cloud nine, or even higher, as he gets to know when he sits down for a chat. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am a space enthusiast and a fan of Carl Sagan. Gyan Gandharvan “I have put up a poster with Carl Sagan’s face instead of Nitish Bharadwaj’s,” he says with a smile.
The sci-fi film, a mockumentary set against the backdrop of apocalyptic disaster, has been drawing crowds to theatres. It is the latest and unexpected entry into the club of Malayalam films that will do well in 2024.
Set in the 2040s, skywalker The story is about a world under siege by aliens, the threat of climate change and the extremism of political ideologies. Shot using found footage technology, the film revolves around three people – Ganesh Kumar, Aju Varghese and Gokul Suresh – whose lives are turned upside down when an alien (Aliyama, played by Anarkali Marakkar – so named because she is an alien) comes into their midst.
Anarkali Marakkar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Humour softens the edge of the socio-political commentary. Arun has successfully treaded that fine line in this film filled with Malayalam pop culture references. A fan of mockumentaries, his favourite horror-comedy mockumentary series is What do we do in the shadows?“After watching it, I wanted to make something political that would tell the harsh truth through a mockumentary lens. It would present it in a light-hearted tone,” he says. “The truth comes out in a way that leaves no room for being offended.”
pop culture
skywalker Makes plenty of references to Malayalam popular culture and films of the 1980s and 90s. Gokul Suresh is Alan Jose, who is an avid fan of Malayalam films and likes KG George Irakle“I am a big fan of George sir and this film,” says Arun. As for Arun, Ganesh Kumar has acted in it, which adds to the sheen of the film.
For the voice of Raghavan, the virtual assistant with the adjustable respect quotient, Arun initially wanted late actor Nedumudi Venu or Santosh Jose Kulangara, the man behind the television travelogue series, SancharamTwo people whose voices any Malayali would recognise.
Aliyamma is voiced by actress Mallika Sukumaran. They wanted to take the voice of late KPAC Lalitha, but the actress was unwell at that time. It was a tribute to Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s voice MathilukalIn which he gave voice to the invisible Narayani.
Ganesh Kumar brings life to the film as the middle-aged alien ‘hunter’ Victor Vasudevan, with his comic timing on point. The actor starred in the film Sajan BakeryWhich was Arun’s second directorial venture. “There is no doubt about it…I wrote Victor keeping Ganesh sir in mind. Thekkan Keralam [south Kerala] Arun says, “The swag is great. And he really enjoyed being a part of the film, probably because he realised the potential of the film.”
Gokul Suresh | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Gokul has collaborated with him sayanna varthkal (2018), is Arun’s first film. Gokul is vocal about climate issues – their ideologies blended and their shared interest in UFO-related conspiracy theories helped. Arun entered the film industry through Vineeth Srinivasan’s film Thattathin Marayathu (2012) for which he designed the publicity. Aju Varghese was also a part of this film; their association began from there.
devastated by water
Unlike most post-apocalyptic films, where the terrain is a desert (think mad Max movies), skywalker It looks like it was devastated by water. Rain and all that comes with it are not romantic for him, he says. “My house is in Aranmula, which gets inundated every time it rains heavily. It is more of a nightmare for me. My mother lives there with our pet dog. I keep talking to her on the phone every time it starts raining. So for me it was all about water, in a post-apocalyptic world.”
Arun admits shooting for the film was a “daily ordeal”, persuading the producers and actors to be extremely supportive of his endeavour even though he had no idea what the mockumentary would eventually take. “They believed in the technician in me.”
If the actors had no idea of how the experimental film would turn out, the response the film received at various film festivals and especially at the Kerala Pop Con held at PVR Cinemas at Lulu Mall, Kochi in January 2024 boosted their confidence.
Ganesh Kumar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Written and shot during the pandemic and lockdown in 2020-21, the three-year wait for the film’s theatrical release was worth it. Arun considers it a blessing. “Usually waiting for three years for a film means that the topics discussed will be ‘finished’. Luckily for this film, it is set in the future, and we are in the future. If it had come in 2025, it would have been the present because we have referenced 2025 in the film!”
Waiting also helped the film adapt to evolving technology – AI and CGI. Considering that the film was made on a modest budget, the graphics are vibrant. “We wanted the visual effects to be minimal rather than exaggerated, a minimalism that is reminiscent of a sci-fi action film District 9,
During this period it participated in science-fiction based film festivals and festivals with South Asian representation such as LA Science-Fiction Film Festival and Nico Media Film Festival (NIFA). Out of the more than 60 festivals it participated in, it won awards in about 25 in the competition category.
Cinema beyond borders
The standing ovation the film received at the Praman Asian Film Festival (2023) held in Calabria, Italy was particularly encouraging. Apart from understanding the universality of films, “I learnt that cinema transcends language. They may not have got the pop culture references, but the audience understood geopolitics and climate change. Even submerged areas would have been new scenes for them.”
Aju Varghese | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He initially conceptualized the film as wild and bloody, “more like a quiet placeThere was an alien invasion but only darker. But Ajuettan (Aju Varghese) suggested I try the polar opposite with humour. After reading the script he was like ‘What’s wrong with you? As we are living in apocalyptic-like conditions due to the pandemic and you are scaring us further?'” He then reworked it and shaped the story after discussing it with friend and US-based film writer Rahul Menon. Writer Siva Sai came on board and the rest is history. Rahul also helped take the film to film festivals abroad.
The 34-year-old self-taught filmmaker wishes he had worked under other directors. “I am a product of the time when digital filmmaking became a thing. I was adamant about figuring everything out on my own, which would have helped me understand things more easily if I had gone the traditional route,” he says. He agrees that he might not have had the courage to make the film if he had gone the traditional route. skywalker,
For the artwork Maniyan Chitappan, Suresh Gopi in lead role in Arun’s next film | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The team is surprised that audiences are flocking to watch the film. “All our promo material and activities emphasised that it was for the 18-25 year olds. We didn’t want anyone to feel cheated, but kids and parents are going to watch the film together. It is attracting people of all age groups,” he added.
He agrees that making the film, which uses gritty, found footage techniques and a ‘trash aesthetic’, might not have been successful if the subject matter was different. But for now, he’s embracing the love skywalker He credits the Malayali audience for this response, “It’s like Fahadh [Faasil] He said we can release any film here because people are open. He was right!” He admitted that the change was due to the different content people watched on OTT during and after the pandemic.
Arun’s work is not yet complete skywalker He created the universe. Next is Maniyan Chitappan Starring Suresh Gopi, who was mentioned in the film.skywalker It has so much potential… it can be developed like the Marvel Universe.”
Gaganchari is running in theatres
