A peep into a possible future

KOCHI: It’s something rare when a person attempts to depict a social issue through a fictitious setting, and then manages to hit the jackpot. Madhav Vishnu’s shortfilm ‘Exodus’ is one such which takes the cake. Laced with visual effects and elements of science fiction, the award-winning work was launched recently.

Seemingly a take on the menace of a brutal corporate world, ‘Exodus’ starts with a threesome carrying along a small coffin. Inside is the re-animated body of a girl who is ‘purchased’ by a couple who is looking for a ‘daughter’. Just one among the dead children who have borne the brunt of war and destruction, she is given a ‘new life’ through an artificial intelligence brain. As the plot unravells further, everything does not look good. It is here that we get to see the prospect of what could possibly happen.
For the director Madhav Vishnu, the ‘Exodus’ was not just a work done as part of his M. A  in Cinema & television course, Sacred Heart school of communication, at Sacred Hearts College, Thevara. Sharing the reason behind coming up with such a concept, he says that the reports of a boy found dead on the shores of a beach at Syria was something which made him to explore the subject.

A self-confessed lover of fantasy stories, he says, “‘Exodus’ attempts to bring together the issues affecting the real world like war, its consequences, connecting it with a thread of fantasy, all with minimal resources.” However, the 16-minute-long film seems to convey more than just the horrors of war, exposing the plight of a truly commercialised world.

Speaking more on the film, he says, “The film is highly symbolic and speaks of events which could happen in the future. The world has become materialistic and the people are self-centred.” Elaborating on the symbolic aspects, Madhav turns one’s attention to the name of the MNC ‘delivering’ the girl, ‘Obey’, signifying how people have become slaves to the corporate world. He continues, “She is brought in a coffin, beautifully decorated, while any mistakes or imperfections are covered up. Everything is neat and pleasant on the outside.”

With exception of a few loopholes here and there, the short film manages to deliver its concept convincingly, a reason it has earned a number of accolades. The film managed to earn the runnerup position for best film, screen play and child artiste at the Rolda Web Fest, Columbia and reached the semi finals at the  Nanocon International Science Fiction Film Fest, USA respectively. The film was also an official selection to the IPAS Film Fest, Athens, Greece and won the best supporting artiste and visual effects award at 10th Avathar International Film Fest, Coimbatore.  Apart from this, ‘Exodus’ has gathered a number of accolades in the homefront. He also said that he got a lot of positive responses, including that of actor Aju Varghese and director Lal Jose.