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The struggles of a common man set in Bahrain are the focus of an upcoming Malayalam short film being shot and produced in the kingdom, which is set to be released by the end of the year.
Biriyanium Sambarum, which translates to Biriyani and Sambar in Malayalam, was written by Prashob Menon and features a Bahrain-based cast and crew, with locations from around the kingdom being featured in the short movie.
“The idea for this film came up through my observations and the experiences that I heard from other people,” the 33-year-old director and writer told GulfWeekly.
“I wanted the life of a mediocre to be projected as they are people who don’t get noticed that much. They are not excellent and not the worst!”
Prashob already has a number of previous films including The Lady Beyond and River under his belt, since he delved into film making in 2018. His film Personal was also recently recognised with the Best Sound Mixing award at the Travancore International Film Festival, and also received a special mention for its scriptwork.
The script for the 30-minute-long Biriyanium Sambarum was written in 14 days and the film was shot at locations in Um Al Hassam, A’Ali, Khamis and Salmaniya in two months.
The film draws its title from the opposite poles of the film’s moral compass – two restaurant owners, of which one specialises in Biriyani, and the other whose most notable dish is Sambar.
“Most of my film scripts are from my own short stories,” Prashob, who also works as creative lead at Al Hilal Healthcare, explained.
“Film-making and acting have been my passion from my childhood days. When writing a short story I tend to approach it with the screen in mind.
“I want to make movies which combine art and commercial elements. With this film, I wanted to drive home the message that it’s often the small things that stand the test of time, rather than big material objects.”
Music for the film was created by Shibin P Sidhique, and its Bahrain-based cast includes Biju Joseph, Arun R Pillai, Aneesh Nirmalan, Karthick Raj, Kelvin P, Sreejith Sreekumar, Prashob, Vaisakh Kulangara, Rahul Balakrishnan, Jeeva VinodKumar and Reshu Rajan.
It is part of a five-piece anthology, which will be released at a number of cinemas in Bahrain by the end of the year. Possible screening locations include Al Hamra Cinema, Oasis Juffair and Mukta Cinemas.
Other movies in the series include Birth Certificate by Vaisakh Kulangara, Resignation by Sreejith Sreekumar, Rakshakan by Karthik Palsamy and Inai Kodugal by Prabhu Ravichandran.
As Biriyanium Sambarum enters its editing and post-production stage, Prashob already has plans for upcoming projects, including Olichu Kali, written by Aneesh Nirmalan, and Aval, another film inspired by one of his short stories.
For more details, follow @prashobhmenon on Instagram.
