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Shelter, said to be the Gulf region’s first Malayalam language movie anthology, premiered at EPIX Cinemas in Dana Mall this month, and will now be screened at Bahrain Media City, as well as in Qatar and the UAE, writes Melissa Nazareth.
The production comprising four films - Stalemate, The Lost Lamb, Locked and Faces in Phases - runs for two hours and 40 minutes and has English subtitles. It was shot at various locations in Bahrain with part of the post-production done in India.
The project, produced by Edathody Films, has been brought alive by husband-wife duo Prakash Vadakara and Jaya Menon, along with two other directors, and a group of actors and creatives.
“I’ve been on stage since 1973, directing and acting in numerous stage plays but movies are a different ball game altogether,” former banker Jaya, who has been living with her husband Prakash, a former marketing manager, in Bahrain for more than 50 years, told GulfWeekly.
“There’s a lot of technicality involved and the editing phase is crucial. I spent a great deal of time on background work with three months just for shot division, so it was challenging but we’re very happy with how it has turned out,” she added.
The Stalemate director, who also plays a lead character in the film, highlighted the level of talent in Bahrain, and commended all those who are part of the Shelter project.
Talking of Faces in Phases, in particular, she noted the ‘brilliant’ performances by protagonists Kathu and Neethu. “Acting in a movie is a lot more difficult when compared to stage acting because it’s fragmental,” she explained.
The Shelter anthology
• Stalemate: directed by Jaya Menon
• The Lost Lamb: directed by Sourav Rakesh
• Locked: directed by Prashobh Menon
• Faces in Phases: directed by Prakash Vadakara
