'Phone, wallet, keys', Adam Sandler's comedy rap is an anthem for anyone with a shoddy memory. But if you're looking for a forgetfulness reference closer to home, Biju Maani has made a 30-minute short film that pays a hilarious tribute to anyone who has cursed themselves for forgetting their charger at home halfway on their way to work.
After quitting his job in a software company in Bengaluru, the BTech graduate from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology has been working towards his love for filmmaking over the past four years. And so, named after his wife and daughter, Nakshatra Nisha Productions has opened up a treasure trove of stories.
To bring this to life, Biju enrolled in months of virtual online courses and workshops. In time, he began writing his own scripts and getting in touch with people who could help bring them to life. "This was my first filmmaking project. I wrote an anthology of 3 short films about forgetfulness. This was the first of that series and that is why the film is called Aadyathe Maravi (The first one I forgot) We started filming one year back in June. I lived in Bengaluru and had to travel to Kochi every weekend. In this time, I contacted the Director of Photography, cinematographers and found an editing team and a music studio. We also forwarded this to major acting studios in the city and conducted auditions. We finished the principal photography by November."
Adyathe Maravi, a comedy thriller, is the first Malayalam short film to be released on an OTT platform. After premiering on Hotstar's Disney Plus, it premiered on Amazon Prime USA on July 5. About the story, Biju says, "It is one hour in the life of a person who steps out his front door for a minute and gets locked outside his home. At the same time, his girlfriend begins to call and he struggles without being able to answer. We're basically focusing on the hilarious way in which he struggles after."
The film was initially released in December 2019 by the distributor Pocket Films's YouTube channel. In this time, it won 6 international film festival awards including those at the South Film and Arts Academy Festival, Chile, Tagore International Film Festival, L'Age d'Or International Arthouse Film Festival and got screened at Kolkata's International Micro Film Festival on January 12. The distributor was able to get in touch with the OTT platforms which approved the film's release on their websites.