The shooting for Malayalam feature film Karma Cartel was over in ten days. Director Vinod Bharathan says it was a kind of “guerrilla filmmaking”. Many a time, the shots were captured randomly without the actors even realising the camera was rolling. The expressions and the dialogues of the actors are spontaneous. “I just explained the situation to them and they came up with most of it on their own,” Vinod says. The experimental filmmaker from Copenhagen believes in an alternative film culture, one that does not rely on cinematic conventions.
A product of the Copenhagen Media School, Vinod says the course changed his perception of the medium entirely. This new film is based on all that he has learnt, he says, challenging the conventions of using an elaborate set, external sound, tripods and lights. Featuring Vinay Forrt, Jinu Joseph, Rohini Idicula and Shani Shaki, the 90-minute film tells the story of how ordinary lives are complexly intertwined in the backdrop of a rapidly growing city. Born and brought up in Fort Kochi, Vinod says he knows the city too well. So Fort Kochi became the location for his film. “In fact, I’d like to say the film is a homage to the city.”
It was shot using a hand-held device and in tune with the tenets of ‘Dogme 95’, a filmmaking movement developed by Danish directors Lars Von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Kristian Levring and Soren Kragh-Jacobsen. The aim of the movement was to simplify the process of filmmaking. Therefore Vinod used only natural lighting, sync sound and natural action. However, for the theatre release, the film would be tweaked a little without compromising on his principles, Vinod says.
The shooting and the initial work for the film began in 2012, coinciding with the first Kochi Muziris Biennale. “It took three whole years to complete the logistics,” says Vinod. The film, which will be released in July, has already won awards at the Canada International Film Festival (foreign film category), the American Movie Awards and at the Film Festival in Rome.
Vinod made a short film in 2011, Karma Code, which won praise and awards at several film festivals and his later attempt at a sequel, Karma Currency, too was received in the festival circuit. The full-length feature is also loosely based on the ‘karma’ factor. The film was first informally screened at the Children’s Park in Ernakulam and the response was encouraging, says Sooraj Ramakrishnan, the producer. “There are still a significant number of people who enjoy watching experimental films in Kerala,” he adds.
A logistics co-ordinator by profession, Vinod says he strayed into filmmaking. His videos of parties and meetings revealed he had an eye for the unusual and he decided to take filmmaking seriously. “I am an artist. I am a story-teller and I have a camera. What logically follows is a film,” he says. Karma Cartel did not have a logical sequence in its making though.
Vinod has been picked up by PVR in its ‘Directors Rare’ category. “It is an honourable attempt by the PVR group to encourage non-commercial cinema and filmmakers,” he says.
Working with the cast was an enriching experience. “I gave total freedom to the actors, I was practically taking the lines out of their mouths,” Vinod says. In some instances, he had the actors saying some scenes were too close to their personal lives. “That is the ultimate aim of cinema. Isn’t it? To reflect reality?” he asks. That, however, does not mean that he would never make a commercial movie. “Who knows, I might. Because I am broke,” he laughs.
