Interview with BEST FEATURE FILM winner Arun Chandu
Welcome Mr Chandu, we are very excited to have you today and discuss about your work. Who is Arun Chandu and how did the passion for filmmaking start ?
I’m a photographer and designer by trade but my true passion lies in cinema. From a very young age I was fascinated by films and the many wonders it has created in society.
I understood the basics of film making and the functioning of a movie set in 2011 when I was working as a still photographer and designer in a film called Thattathin Marayathu (Under the Veil).
My journey towards achieving my goal of becoming a director started there.
Can you tell us about your previous work?
My debut film was titled Sayanna Varthakal which translates to “Evening News” which is a socio-political satire about a job creation scam taking place in central Kerala, where I’m from.
Following that work was a family drama titled Saajan Bakery about the rivalry between two co-owners of a small town bakery, who are also siblings.
CONVERSATION ABOUT: GAGANACHARI
India is a massive film production country with a very strong industry. How is the profession of a film director taken in Indian society ?
From my experience, a film director with adequate substance will holistically be appreciated as India has a rich history of cinema that has spanned over a 100 years.
With over 10 individual film industries and hundreds of languages and diverse cultures within a country, cinema has proven time and time again to transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries.
Being a film director in such a society is in fact one of the most rewarding career opportunities one can be achieve, given there is ample success for said filmmaker
Talk to us about your film? How was it created and what inspired it?
Gaganachari is a sci-if comedy satire visualised in the format of a Mockumentary. It is essentially a social commentary on a dystopian society that may or may not exist in the foreseeable future.
It is a documentation of a once civil society slowly regressing back to the primal days where mankind only had the sole purpose of survival. And in order to survive, man would destroy and devour anything that is in his way.
What is the target audience of your film (avoid answering everyone) ?
Being a geek myself, I wanted introduce the culture of science fiction to an industry that is still relatively young in terms of producing high concept films.
The pandemic was a period that subjected the average movie goer to a wide spectrum of films varying in genres, templates etc.
My writer Siva Sai and I felt it was the right time to take a gamble and make a highly experimental film that is very different from what anyone in the country has seen before and package it for the sensibilities of young men and women who are fascinated by science fiction movies and comic book culture which has its own cult following in the state of Kerala, where I reside in.
How was the style, genre and atmosphere selected ?
If I have to be brutally honest, the circumstances that led to the development of this project weren’t pleasant. During the first wave of the Covid 19 pandemic, the Indian film industry shut down completely.
We represent a small industry from the southern part of India called the Malayalam Film Industry. We specialise in smaller scale movies compared to the rest of the country due to our small demographic.
An unofficial memo went around the Malayalam film fraternity stating there’s only scope for the production of small movies taking place in smaller environments. Gaganachari was heavily inspired by found footage movies that adopted an aesthetic treatment that purposely looked amateur but elevated the elements of humour in whatever premise it was handling like The Office where 90% of the show takes place within an Office Building.
Same goes for Taika Waititis “What we do in the shadows”, which is a huge inspiration for the film.
FUTURE WORK AND CLOSING LETTER
Are there any autobiographical notes in your scenario and is there any social commentary showcased in your work ?
I wouldn’t call it autobiographical but some of the main characters in the film do possess certain nuances and aspects of both myself and the writer Siva Sai, which I mentioned cannot technically be considered autobiographical.
The film in its entirety is a satirical social commentary on a social environment that is yet to exist. It’s a “what if” treatment on a battle ravaged civilisation that exists 20 years from now.
What is the message the audience should convey leaving the screening of your film ?
Our film cuts to black on the revelation that humanity despite the adversities it has been subjected to is still worth salvaging. Even in the darkest of times, love and compassion can triumph over bias and bigotry. Humanity’s greates weapon is indeed…humanity.
Any future projects incoming ? Along with personal aspirations.
I have currently started pre-production on my next feature film which is in another Indian language (Tamil). The film is a raunchy comedy titled “American Mappilai” which roughly translated to “American Groom”.
As for my future aspirations, I am currently working on the final draft of what I can call a passion project of mine titled “Maniyan Chittappan” (Uncle Maniyan) , which a sci-go superhero film of sorts drawing inspiration from the classic filmography of filmmakers such as Robert Zameckis, James Cameron etc.
I will be collaboration once again with writer Siva Sai for this feature.
That was the interview with our beloved creator Arun Chandu. Our community is rising everyday, new talented filmakers and screenwriters get onboard. Be sure to check the rest of our interviews and why not schedule one for yourself to promote your work. To publish an interview simply submit on the INTERVIEW OF YOUR FILM category on our Filmfreeway page.
