Of simpler times and lasting fueds

KOCHI: This lockdown has taught us a thing or two about keeping our family close and the joy in embracing small things. For Nishanth Mathew, a Kochi-bred, Bengaluru-based aspiring filmmaker, this quarantine season was a reason to bring something creative into his family- in black and white. “My dad has 12 siblings, and every year we arrange a get together. This video was shot in December. Since I have a lot of time in hand right now, I decided to put it together,” says Nishanth.

Chathi (betrayal in Malayalam), his latest short film, might strike you as similar to an old Malayalam movie with half-sleeve shirts, thin moustache and simple lives. The film introduces two teenagers–Rajukkuttan and his friend-turned-enemy and the villain of the story Devassi Hussain. Devassi stabs Rajukkuttan with a pen, outraging his elder brothers and making his sister Molly cry.

The tale of revenge that follows has been shot with full blown melodramatic twists and turns in this under 10 minute movie. “The movie is based on an incident that happened to my dad when he was in Class IV. He wrote this story in a book.

He’s in the merchant navy, so the time he spends away from home, he works on this book. I guess that’s what he does when he misses home. We tried to recreate that without his knowledge.” The film was shot in Kadaplamattom, near Pala, where Nishanth’s father grew up. The storyboard was prepared by Vishal Augustine, and the theatrical narration has been rendered by Paul Abraham. You can watch ‘Chathi’ on YouTube.