A bitter slice of life

KOCHI: Being the biggest metropolitan  area in the state, Kochi attracts youngsters and job aspirants from remote parts of Kerala. While some manage to achieve their dreams, many struggle to make a steady livelihood. Akshay A V Shyam’s short film ‘Melodrama’ depicts the travails of a common man who comes to the city penniless in hopes of finding a better life. Over the course of its run time, the film shows how 
a small incident sparks off a chain of extraordinary events.

The protagonist in the film who is away from his hometown for work, is struggling to arrange money for his father’s medical expenses. The story evolves around the incidents which happen after an umbrella purchased by him, gets stolen in a bus.“The film has been inspired by a real incident in my life. I went through a period of great struggle where even the slightest thing matters and take one through an emotional spiral.

Many a times, people blame others for being over-emotional or dramatic about small things, but they fail to recognise how that particular thing matters to the latter. In the film, the umbrella is just a symbolic trope,” said Akshay. “We are not sharing a moral or message through ‘Melodrama’ but have tried to portray the actual picture of a common man’s life,” he added.

The film was shot in Broadway market and inside a bus in Kochi. “We had completed the pre-production before the lockdown was announced. Our team is indeed happy to see the viewers’ response which has been very positive,” said Akshay. Apart from encouraging feedback on social media, ‘Melodrama’ has been viewed over 20,000 times within three days of its release.

Najjah Abdul Kareem and Dileep Kumar have played the central characters in the film. Musician Vivek Radhakrishnan aka V3K of hip-hop group Street Academics composed the background music for the film. Other crew members include Sarath Payyavoor (cinematography), Tijo Thomas Kaliyanil (editing) and Karthikeyan S A (sound designer).

The film is available on the YouTube channel @AVISIO ENTERTAINMENTS.