Director Mirash Bichu’s musical mini feature Karthi Kalyani is a heartwarming tale of love; it is also a story of hope. When Mirash set out to make a film, he was certain he wanted it to convey a social message. Through the interconnected narratives of two couples, he trains the spotlight on issues of disability, compassion and love.
Karthi, an aspiring filmmaker, supports his partner Kalyani, who grapples with hearing loss, and helps her achieve her goal of winning the first prize in a swimming championship. He is there for her every step of the way and puts his own dreams on hold for her. Karthi derives inspiration from Nandan, a man he had seen growing up, who helps his visually impaired wife Meenakshi ride a bike, a dream she had always nurtured. Nandan and Meenakshi left an indelible impression on young Karthi’s mind.
Anikha Surendran on the sets of Karthi Kalyani | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The film, written and directed by Mirash, was shot across 23 locations in Kerala, capturing the beauty of a typical idyllic countryside where the story unfolds. The drone shots add to the effect. It was released on YouTube in May, 2024, and has garnered over one million views. The trailer of the film was launched in Maldives, says Mirash, who is also the production designer and choreographer of the film.
While Karthi’s role is essayed by actor Govind Padmasoorya, Anju Kurian has essayed Kalyani. Most of the actors and technicians who are part of the project worked for free. “I have been part of the film industry for over nine years, assisting various prominent directors. I felt it was time to do a film on my own and the entire cast and crew supported this dream of mine,” says Mirash.
Mirash, who studied filmmaking at the Chetana Media Institute, entered the film industry as assistant to director Amal Neerad in 2013. He later went on to direct his own mini musical feature Colour of Love in 2015, after which he assisted Dileesh Nair in Tamaar Padaar, and assisted Rathish Ambat in Kammara Sambhavam in 2018. In between he also worked as a wedding photographer. Mirash later moved to Mumbai, assisting Bejoy Nambiar, in the action thriller Taish. “It was a great learning experience for me,” he adds.
Though he initially conceptualised Karthi Kalyani as a 20-minute short film, as he fleshed out the characters, he felt each of them had more to offer. “That is when I decided to make it a musical feature. The one-hour-12 minute format is not a full feature film, but has the treatment of one — complete with song sequences,” he adds.
The cast includes Johny Antony, Anikha Surendran, Mirna Menon, Akshay Radhakrishnan, Kottayam Pradeep, Sobha Vishwanath, Shyam Mohan, Sruthi Rajnikanth, Shiyas Kareem and Veena Nair among others.
Govind Padmasoorya and Mirash Bichu | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The music is by Joel Johns and Keethan & Shravan Sridhar and lyrics are by Titto P Thankachen and Jayathi Arun. The song ‘Madhavam’ has been composed by guest music director PS Jayahari. Hesham Abdul Wahab, KS Harishankar, Job Kurian, Sanah Moidutty, Anila Rajeev and Sruthy Sivadas have lent their voices to the songs.
While Jose Charles and Manu Raphael have handled cinematography, T R Vishnu joined in as guest cinematographer. Editing is by Arju Benn and Linto Kurian. Costumes have been designed by Sujith Sudhakaran along with Mirash and Dawn B Johns is the colourist.
The film is on YouTube.
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