Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
One producer didn’t even know who Satyajit Ray was-Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
8:32 AM
As The Storyteller premières online next week, director Ananth Mahadevan recalls his three-year struggle to find producers for the adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; January 24, 2025)
One would think Ananth Mahadevan would be happy that his directorial venture, The Storyteller, is set to drop on Disney+ Hotstar on January 28. But the director has mixed feelings about his Paresh Rawal-starrer skipping the theatrical route.
“It was Jio’s decision to release it on the platform and not have a theatrical release. With the response films are getting in the theatres these days, it’s a question of taking a chance. I would’ve liked it to have a limited release,” says Mahadevan.
Also starring Adil Hussain and Revathy, the film is based on Satyajit Ray’s short story, Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro. It revolves around an elderly man, known for spinning grand tales. Despite having the foundation of one of Ray’s best stories, Mahadevan says making the film was challenging, with some producers not even knowing of the legendary filmmaker-writer.
“It was heartbreaking. Nobody believed in a film on Ray in his centenary year. Producers wanted drama and high-pitched films. One producer didn’t even know who Ray was. I paraded the script in front of six producers over three years till Suchhanda Chatterjee came on board. Any other actor would’ve given up, but Paresh stood behind me steadfast.”
In 2022, The Storyteller premièred at the Busan International Film Festival. It was also screened at the Kerala Film Festival 2022, International Film Festival of India 2022, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2023. Encouraged by the positive response at the film galas, Mahadevan was hopeful that it could be India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2024.
Recalling submitting the movie to the Film Federation of India, Mahadevan says, “We tried our best to send it to the 2024 Oscars as I thought it would be a fitting entry. But I was told by a jury member that we missed it by a whisker. That year, a film on the Kerala floods [the Malayalam film, 2018] went for the Oscars because it highlighted an ecological issue. If this is the kind of judgment they have of Oscar entries, then they are sitting on the wrong chairs. The Storyteller was [based] on Ray’s story, it won accolades everywhere. Yet they didn’t send it. It was shattering. It didn’t even feature in the National Awards.”
2018 fails to make it to final 15 in race for Oscars
8:21 AM
THE TIMES OF INDIA (December 23, 2023)
Kochi: The Malayalam survival drama movie ‘2018: Everyone Is A Hero’ directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, is out of the Oscars race. The movie, which was selected as India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th academy awards 2024, has failed to secure a spot on the shortlist of 15 films. The shortlist was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Friday.
The movie, starring Tovino Thomas, Kunhacko Boban, Indrans, Asif Ali, Tanvi Ram, Aparna Balamurali, etc. and set against the backdrop of devastating 2018 flood in Kerala was selected as official entry for Oscar, as it deals with a global issue with harrowing details of a natural calamity.
After the movie failed to find a spot in the shortlist, director Jude Anthany Joseph posted a note in his social media accounts thanking those who extended support to the movie. “I sincerely apologize to all my well-wishers and supporters for disappointing you all. Nevertheless, the opportunity to represent India in this competition has been a dream-like journey that I will cherish for a lifetime. Being the highest-grossing film and the official Indian entry to the Oscars is a rare achievement in any filmmaker’s career. ... My heartfelt thanks go to the producers, technicians, artists, and the audience for their tremendous support for our film”, he wrote on Facebook.
Jonathan Glazer’s historical drama ‘The Zone Of Interest’ (UK), Denmark’s ‘The Promised Land,’ starring Mads Mikkelsen, and ‘Perfect Days’ from Japan are being billed as the frontrunners of the category. The shortlist also includes ‘Amerikatsi’ (Armenia), ‘The Monk And The Gun’ (Bhutan), ‘Fallen Leaves’ (Finland), ‘The Taste Of Things’ (France), ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ (Germany), ‘Godland’ (Iceland), ‘Io Capitano’ (Italy), ‘Totem’ (Mexico), ‘The Mother Of All Lies’ (Morocco), ‘Society Of The Snow’ (Spain), ‘Four Daughters’ (Tunisia) ‘20 Days In Mariupol’ (Ukraine). Films from 88 countries were eligible in the category. The shortlisted movies will advance to the next round of voting.
Despite the setback, Joseph expressed gratitude to the producers, technicians, artists, and the audience for their support.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, and crafts like hair and makeup, visual effects and sound. Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Martin Scorsese's "Killers Of The Flower Moon" were prominently represented among the finalists. Mstyslav Chernov's "20 Days In Mariupol" was shortlisted in both the documentary and international feature categories, representing Ukraine. The films are one step closer to an Oscar nomination.
We are determined to give 2018 a fighting chance at the Oscars-Venu Kunnappilly
8:23 AM
Anna Mathews (BOMBAY TIMES; September 30, 2023)
Producer Venu Kunnappilly is super excited about his Malayalam film 2018 being declared India’s official entry for the Oscars. “It feels like a huge achievement. As it is, the film has been a record breaker at the box office, but we did not even imagine an honour such as this selection while making the movie. It has come as an amazing surprise, especially because it has been picked from among hundreds of films from different regional industires, and several that were made on much bigger budgets,” the Dubai-based producer told us over the phone.
The announcement that the Jude Anthany Joseph directorial had been selected was made yesterday by veteran filmmaker and chairman of the selection committee Girish Kasaravalli, who noted that the film was picked for its theme of climate change and how it is affecting people. The film, which features Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban and Asif Ali, is loosely based on incidents from the devastating Kerala floods of 2018.
Venu says that the team has high hopes of making a mark at the Academy Awards. “Now, it will be quite a journey in taking a shot at the Oscars. The film has to run at the theatres there to ensure that the Academy committee members watch the movie. We must explain the movie's milieu to them, have it featured in the magazines there and so on. It will be expensive, but we are determined to give 2018 a fighting chance. This is a rare opportunity for Malayalam cinema,” he says.
Jude had said that the idea of making the film, a survival thriller and emotional drama with the tagline ‘Everyone Is a Hero’, had given him sleepless nights. Venu, who bankrolled the film along with CK Padma Kumar and Anto Joseph, agrees that it was a daunting task. “Not everyone would be willing to make a film on this scale,” he says.
“But I liked the idea of taking the risk and Jude’s confidence spurred me on. Anyway, the outcome is beyond our dreams.”
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Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 1, 2023)
Director Jude Anthany Joseph was stunned when he learnt that his film 2018 had been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2024. In an exclusive conversation with us, he reveals that this unexpected honour wasn’t something the team had ever anticipated. “I came to know just last week that the film had been sent for consideration. I was not bothered about it (Oscar application) because that’s not something I ever imagined in my dreams. I knew it wouldn’t happen. When the news came out, someone called me for a byte, and when I asked why, they told me. I was really shocked.”
While the 40-year-old director had confidence in the film’s quality and expected positive reviews, he never foresaw 2018 becoming the highest-grossing film in Malayalam cinema. The survival drama centered around the devastating 2018 floods in Kerala.
Joseph recalls, “A night before the film’s release, I sent a video message to my producers, saying that tomorrow onwards, you will start getting many messages and phone calls; this film will be a milestone in Malayalam cinema. I was sure it would be a superhit, but not the highest grosser. I knew the kind of appreciation we received from people in theatres across India would transcend language barriers. But again, the Oscars were not in our plan.”
Malayalam film 2018 is India’s Oscars entry
8:23 AM
‘2018’ Is Highest Grossing Malayalam Film Of All Time
THE TIMES OF INDIA (September 28, 2023)
Kochi: The Malayalam survival drama ‘2018: Everyone Is A Hero’, directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, has been selected by the Film Federation of India as the country’s official entry to the Oscars. The film, the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time, raked in around Rs 200 crore at the box office.
The movie is set to compete in the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards. The decision was announced by filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, chairman of the FFI selection committee, in Chennai on Wednesday.
The movie, which stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Indrans, Asif Ali, Tanvi Ram and Aparna Balamurali, among others, and set against the backdrop of the devastating 2018 floods in Kerala. It is learnt that the movie was selected as it deals with a global issue and documents the harrowing details of what a natural calamity means for the common people.
Its technical excellence and approach to storytelling distinguish the film, a tribute to the heroes who saved lives during the calamity.
The movie, produced by Venu Kunnappally, C K Padmakumar and Anto Joseph, was written by Akhil P Dharmajan and Jude Anthany. “Thank you, God. Thank You, Indian Cinema,” Jude Anthany said in a Facebook post soon after the film was chosen as India’s official entry for the Oscars.
“For me, it is like winning an Oscar award. I am excited as I never expected this,” Jude Anthany said. He added, “The selection was also a recognition to the artists and technicians who dedicatedly worked for the movie.”
‘2018: Everyone Is A Hero’ is only the fourth Malayalam film after ‘Guru’ (1997), ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ (2011) and ‘Jallikattu’ (2019) to be picked as India’s official submission to the Academy Awards.
The 96th Oscars is expected to be held in March in Los Angeles.
(Crisp) Movie Review: 2018 by FENIL SETA
11:04 PM
2018 is an acclaimed Malayalam movie which released last Friday and is doing roaring business in cinemas. As the name suggests, it is set in the year 2018 and is about the devastating floods that occurred in the state that year. There are multiple tracks and the 150-minute-long film is quite captivating. There are several nail-biting and thrilling moments which keep the viewers gripped. The VFX and scale of the film are topnotch. On the flipside, there are too many characters in the film and it takes a while to understand and process who is who and related to whom. The makers could have done away with a track or two. There was no conclusion to one of the tracks and a major development in the climax is a little unconvincing. 2018, however, rests on splendid performances. Tovino Thomas (Anoop), who is famous nationwide for playing the lead in Minnal Murali, is excellent. Asif Ali (Nixon) puts up a confident act. Tanvi Ram (Manju) is lovely. Lal (Mathachan) rocks the show, as expected. Vineeth Sreenivasan (Rameshan) is quite likeable. Kalaiyarasan (Sethupathy) is memorable. Sudheesh (Varghese) leaves a huge mark in the second half and the same goes for the actor playing his son. Nileen Sandra (Asif Ali's sister-in-law) is great, especially in the first half. The others who do well are Narain (Winston), Aju Varghese (Taxi driver Koshy) and Indrans (Bhasi). The male actor who plays the Polish tourist hams. All in all, 2018 is worth watching for its grandeur, performances and tight script. It is currently running with English subtitles and is expected to release in cinemas soon in the dubbed Hindi version.
My rating - *** ½ out of 5!
My rating - *** ½ out of 5!
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