Interview on Nirmal Pillai’s 40 minute film ‘Bata Boy and Crocs Girl’

In a world dominated by Instagram Reels, storytelling often comes down to short tidbits, designed to steal our attention in under a minute. The pace is frenetic, the content is fleeting, and the dopamine rushes spike. Movies, on the other hand, demand slower, more intense engagement – ​​the exact opposite of today’s scroll-and-swipe culture. The two mediums cater to very different interests: reels demand brevity, often no more than glimpses of humor or insight, while films require a commitment of time and focus that draws the audience to a story. Asks to surrender. Bengaluru-based comedian Nirmal Pillai is making the shift from the former to the latter with the 40-minute multilingual mumblecore (a sub-genre that focuses on frequently improvised dialogue and young adult relationships) film. bata boy and crocs girl Which recently premiered at Bengaluru International Centre.

This romantic drama takes us into the lives of Gokul and Ishita – two individuals pursuing their undefined relationship as they describe it: “We like each other, hang out together and have sex. But we are not in a relationship.” Have they got it all figured out? Not at all, says the film’s synopsis. Based in Bengaluru – which Nirmal calls the “New York of South India” – the film attempts to capture the fleeting allure of urban romance in new cities.

Nirmal, who studied architecture, started making reels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon, he became a popular content creator on Instagram. He starred in the Amazon Prime Video anthology, Putham Puthu KalaiAnd also ventured into stand-up comedy, among other things. But becoming a filmmaker was always in his mind.

“That’s the main reason why I took all these different paths to get there. I think we made a movie in ninth grade. This 40 minute long film was called a very bad film. Naked CadwulIt was about some Greek gods coming to Chennai. It was really bad,” he says, laughing, “but we got over it. Despite how bad it was, we still wanted to make movies because we had so much fun making them.

Creating all those reels on Instagram helped him a bit in filmmaking. “What I learned from Reels is that humor is more effective when it is simple. If you have an observation, how do you express it in a funny way? Reels helped me think outside the box. I also edited all of my reels, which taught me about editing for comedy. Different cuts can make you laugh and that’s my favorite joke.”

But he also had to unlearn some things. “The reels are fast-moving; Something happens, you laugh and move on. This urgency can extend to the writing or staging of scenes. But for a movie, you must let the scenes breathe and have meaningful dialogue. Giving the characters a journey is something I had to learn.”

Despite creating reels for the Instagram generation, Nirmal’s creative sensibilities have been shaped by filmmakers who view cinema as art rather than commerce. One of his biggest inspirations is Martin Scorsese, whose films he equates to reading a book. “Scorsese also does things that make you think, ‘I can’t believe I could do that in a movie.’ For example, the beginning of The Wolf of Wall Street – That freeze-frame narration – is such an effective way of telling a story. Another major influence is Alphonse Puthren PremamA film that redefined his understanding of cinematic possibilities. “There was no marketing for that film; I just went to it with my parents and was completely stunned. It made me realize, ‘Oh, I didn’t know I could do that in a movie.’ Premam Inspired him to rethink visual storytelling.

A scene from ‘Bata Boy and Crocs Girl’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

But does today’s audience, accustomed to spicy content, have the patience for long stories? Nirmal is aware of this dilemma. “Many people have shorter attention spans now. But at the same time, people also consume long-form content like three-hour podcasts and one-and-a-half-hour shows. There is no room for the 10-15 minutes of content in between, which causes the most loss,” he said.

This change is even more evident in the theater world. “People go to theaters for events like the Avengers movies, because it feels like an event,” he explains. “This event culture is not just in our cinema but also in the West in the form of Marvel films, masala films.” He compares it to a leisurely movie Miazhaganwhich “was an amazing film but did not do that well in theatres.”

Nirmal wants to live in a space between these two extremes. “I am very clear that I want to make commercially viable films. Coming from a middle-class background, I know how important money is. But you can make really good movies without compromising your vision.

For example, like a movie passion It performed very well and is a good sign that you can make a completely entertaining film that also collects a lot of money.

As Nirmal looks ahead, he is already working on his next project: a 12-15-minute adaptation of a comic book he discovered at the Kochi Biennale. “It’s about six pages long, and it made me cry at the end. That story has stuck in my mind since my college days. I met the writer and got the rights to adapt it,” he shared. Starring comedian Abhishek Kumar, the film focuses on film festivals.

This film and bata boy and crocs girl It is designed to distinguish him as a filmmaker rather than just a comedian.

This change reflects the career paths of some of his idols. “Donald Glover and Jordan Peele inspire me,” says Nirmal. Glover’s seamless movement from sketch to creation atlanta and musicals as Childish Gambino, and Peele’s bold leap from comedy to directing. Go There are examples he admires. “They didn’t have the same personality in different things. They just do their job there.” For Nirmal, the journey from reels to a 40-minute film is more than a stylistic experiment – ​​it’s a step closer to his dream.

bata boy and crocs girl Will stream on YouTube from January 11.