Kochi: Four years ago, on New Year’s day, a telefilm was screened on a Malayalam channel, without dialogues.
Santhosh G, who had been working in the television industry as a producer, director and scriptwriter for over two decades, put on the screen an idea he wanted to experiment. Something clicked, felt right. When it was time for him to make a feature film, he took this idea.
He experimented by making a Malayalam film without dialogues, One Day Jokes.
“I am so happy that the film is entering its second week,” says the director. “In the old days when films were made without dialogues, it was because of lack of technology for sound.”
His idea was a manifestation of his wish to step into Malayalam cinema with something special, something that the audience would remember him by.
“And also because it was the requirement of the story. The events unfold inside a home in a single day, from 6 in the morning to 7.30 in the evening. Everyone has a secret life and hides it from one another, they don’t want to ‘talk’ about it. So the silence…”
The film is also a silent message against alcohol, stealing, terrorism and illicit relationships.
The whole film was shot in two days at a house in Kayamkulam. “A lot of people were critical, telling me it was impossible to make a film in two days. But my producer G. Unnikrishnan Nair was supportive.
So were the entire cast and crew who were on location the entire time.” Kamal Haasan’s dialogue-less Pushpakavimanam had touched him, but did not influence the film, says Santhosh.
He is ready with plans for his second film — a story of friendship set in a village — which will roll in September.
