Latest news with #Bahul
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Jithin Stanislaus interview—Between sunshine and shadows
One of the most striking features of 3BHK is how the film treats the house as a character. As the story progresses, we see the family moving to different houses, each time to a bigger, better space. But their quest to find a house they can call home faces numerous roadblocks. As a cinematographer, Jithin says the idea of treating the house as a character and capturing the family's struggles from its perspective was exciting. "We show four different houses in the film, and each of them has distinct characteristics. From the amount of light that enters the house to the colour palette, everything was planned before going on the floors. Since I've also lived in Chennai, I'm familiar with the interiors of houses there and the interesting colours they use, which we normally don't see in Kerala. In the film, you can notice shades of green in the first two houses and blue in the third. By the time they move into the fourth house, they are slightly stable, but things are still not bright enough, so we used an off-white colour. It is their final 3BHK house that gets an all white and bright look, signifying the realisation of a long-cherished dream." The challenges were different in KCF 2. Firstly, it's the second season of an already successful series, also shot by Jithin. Second, the responsibilities of a co-producer and collaborating with a writer, who is also a cinematographer. "Bahul is my junior from college, and I've always seen the spark in his writing. He hardly interfered in cinematography, but obviously, he would visualise scenes in a certain way, which may not align with my vision. Since we are also good friends, we had the space to exchange our ideas." Production, Jithin says, was not a sudden decision. "Ahammed and I wanted to produce the first season itself, but Hotstar wanted the project to begin immediately, and we weren't yet ready for it. We mainly wanted to have all the control with us to make quick decisions and function freely." We usually see web shows maintaining a distinct visual treatment, but Jithin says he was not keen on following a tried-and-tested approach. Explaining his rationale, he says, "I didn't want to retain a similar tone because the emotions communicated in both seasons are different. With the grading done by the same person, we could still achieve the feel of a follow-up season. It's also easier to fix a colour palette for an investigation story like this, because the predominant colour is anyway khaki." If it was framing the house in 3BHK, what challenged Jithin the most in KCF 2 was executing the scenes with the dogs. Some of the best moments in the show feature dogs, and Jithin knew it wouldn't be easy filming them. "It's not like one or two shots. There are lengthy sequences featuring them, both individually and as a group, and it shouldn't look amateurish. Thankfully, we had a talented trainer who got all the dogs trained in two months. The key is to be patient with them and not expect instant results. We were most anxious about the tail wagging scene in the climax, and shot it continuously for three days. We would shoot that scene every day early in the morning and just before sunset, but as it turned out, the first take was still the best."
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Cinematographer-writer Bahul Ramesh on scripting the second season of the web series, ‘Kerala Crime Files'
Bahul Ramesh, who joined the list of cinematographers-cum-scriptwriters in Malayalam cinema with Kishkindha Kaandam, the acclaimed slow-burning thriller by Dinjith Ayyathan, is back again as scenarist with the second season of the web series, Kerala Crime Files: The Search for CPO Ambili Raju. Directed by Ahammed Khabeer, the series is being discussed for its taut screenplay, nuanced character arcs and novel themes. The action is set in the fictitious Kaniyarvila police station limits in Thiruvananthapuram. The officers posted there are being transferred because of their alleged nexus with criminals. When, Ambili Raju (Indrans), one of the cops, goes missing, the newly-appointed officers, Circle Inspector Kurian (Lal) and Sub Inspector Noble (Arjun Radhakrishnan) and their team start the investigation, which eventually leads to shocking revelations about Ambili and his special bond with an ex-convict Ayyappan (Harisree Ashokan). But as the narrative move towards the climax, more truths emerge, eventually leading to apprehending the culprit. In a free-wheeling conversation with MetroPlus, Bahul says that he did not put pressure on himself thinking it was the second season of a successful show. 'Ahammed ikka (Ahammed Khabeer, director of both seasons of KCF) contacted me in September 2023 asking if we could work on the new season. I had just finished Kishkindha Kaandam. He had only a month to pitch the story idea to the streaming platform. It is difficult for me to arrive at a thread just like that, my stories usually develop only once I start writing. I also wanted to give Ahammed enough time to find another story/writer if my idea did not work. However, he was confident and his only request was to include a few characters from the first season so that the viewers are reminded of the franchise,' Bahul says. Bahul became friends with Ahammed at LV Prasad College of Media Studies, Chennai, where he studied cinematography and Ahammed had done an internship. 'Even though he had interned much before I joined, we met through mutual friends. I looked forward to working with him, irrespective of the format or my designation. Jithin Stanislaus, the series' DOP, is also a senior,' he says. The writing for KCF did not involve a lot of research as many would think. 'I have put down the basic things I know, corroborated by what I read in the newspapers, saw on social media, or heard from others. There was no reference for the police characters. Once I finished the script, I fact-checked with experts and consulted a police officer who had helped Ahammed ikka in the first season. It was he who gave us the term passport adichu kitti, a phrase that the police use for transfer orders.' Bahul's expertise, when it comes to character development, is on show in KCF as it was in Kishkindha Kaandam. The way he peels layers of the characters is a mainstay of the story. However, Bahul stresses that it is not deliberate. 'I don't design my characters. The focus is on writing original dialogues and when I do that, the layers show as a byproduct of the process. I don't finalise the story and then write. The narrative develops as I work scene by scene,' he explains. In the context he mentions the scene where Ambili asks his daughter to go to Ayyappan's house and enquire about him. 'Her reluctance to go there hints at tension between the two characters. At the same time, I did not want the daughter's character to be one-dimensional. It was only after establishing this premise that I worked out the relation between Ambili and Ayyappan.' Bahul stresses that he was not concerned about adapting his writing to the web series format, especially arriving at a cliffhanger after each episode. 'I didn't follow that template. I wanted to keep it organic, without gimmicks. It was about pushing the envelope and arriving at a situation naturally, as I travelled with my characters.' In fact, he had 'an interesting way' to fix the duration of each episode. 'Ahammed ikka said that five episodes could be of 30 minutes, and the last one slightly longer. So, once I wrote the 40-page first episode, I gave it to my father to read. It took him 25 minutes and I gauged that it could be the approximate running time of that episode. That is how I got the meter to anchor my syntax. As I wrote each episode, I took it towards a conclusion, keeping that duration in mind, without twists or cliffhangers. Thus, each episode had an organic ending.' Now that deliberations are on about the 'show, don't tell' approach in the series, especially the climax, Bahul avers that he did not want to take the obvious route. 'It does not have an open ending. We have laid to rest all doubts, without stating the obvious. The answers lie in the final scene when Noble smiles, seeing the pack of dogs, thus declaring that his speculations were right.' Interestingly dogs are integral to the storyline and his exploration of the human-animal bond is heart warming. 'Their roles became important as I started working on the script. We had an expert who helped us execute scenes with the dogs. It was, obviously, difficult to make them act on demand. The director and DOP were patient enough to get the right shot.' About featuring a dog with a cognitive disability, Bahul says that he came across a scenario at a friend's house. 'They had a visually impaired dog. It was disturbing. But that's where I got the idea that a dog with a disability would be an interesting material for the series,' he says. Becoming a writer was a dream Bahul chose to keep on the back burner. 'I knew that scripting films was a gamble. Your story could get rejected and if chosen you don't know when it would become a film. So I decided to focus on cinematography, settle in that space, and then start writing scripts.' That opportunity came during during the lockdown, 'since there was nothing else to do. My first script was based on the theme of lockdown which Dinjith Ayyathan was keen to make into a film. That's when I came up with the story of Kishkindha Kaandam and he felt that we should make that first.' Bahul points out that he does not lose sleep over whether people like his scripts or not. 'I follow my instincts, my intuitions. I am open to correcting my mistakes. This attitude comes from parental conditioning. Thanks to my parents who never forced me to study. I have never been under pressure to perform well. They were happy with whatever marks I got. Once, on the eve of my Plus 1 exam, I was so nervous that I thought I would fail. I told my father this and asked if we could go watch a film. He was game and we watched the late evening show of In Ghost House Inn, which was the only movie playing in theatres then!' He is open to criticism as well. 'I want people to express their opinion, be it negative or positive. It is encouraging that they are at least thinking about it. I believe that such observations help in the growth of the content. Sometimes they surprise me with findings that I had never thought of. It is motivating when someone points out that I have tried to do something different. I never wanted to fall back on something that was easy, convenient or formulaic.' Meanwhile, he has finished the shoot for Dinjith's next movie, starring Sandeep Pradeep, due for release later this year.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kerala Crime Files 2 director Ahammed Khabeer: Bahul Ramesh is adamant about…
Kerala Crime Files 2, the latest web series in Malayalam, is receiving positive feedback from viewers. The main reason for the favourable reviews for the sequel to Malayalam's first web series is its compelling story. Its director, Ahammed Khabeer, talked about his collaboration with script writer Bahul Ramesh in an interview with OTTplay. Ahammed Khabeer and Bahul Ramesh Watch Malayalam's best thrillers such as Rekhachithram, Anjaam Pathiraa and more on OTTplay Premium The director, who became popular for directing June and Madhuram, said he had known Bahul for a long time. He claimed that Bahul's love of films is admirable and unlike any of us. Ahammed went on to say that the Kishkinda Kandam-fame screenwriter tries everything in his power to make his films as engaging as possible. "Ashiq Aimar, the writer of the first season, was preoccupied with his marriage at the time we were talking about the sequel," Ahammed stated, adding that Bahul had made it worthwhile when they approached him. "Script is the king at the end of the day and he was adamant about not making any compromise while penning it," the filmmaker said. He continued by stating that their main goal was to produce a project that was both plausible and debated in other languages in addition to Malayalam. KCF 2 garnering rave feedback from viewers In addition to the exceptional performances by the cast, the subplots of this web series are so intricately interwoven that the audiences are left intrigued from the first episode itself. In particular, Harisree Ashokan, Indrans, Sirajudheen Nazar, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Lal and Aju Varghese are receiving recognition for their impressive act in Kerala Crime Files 2, which is streaming on JioHotstar.. The plot centres on a police unit led by SI Noble who looks into the case of CPO Ambili Raju's mysterious disappearance. The case becomes increasingly complicated as the inquiry goes on. The main focus of the web series is the crime's gruesome details and police procedures. Kerala Crime Files 2 is a fantastic choice if you want to watch something gripping this weekend. Also Read: Kerala Crime Files 2 review: Ahammed Khabeer delivers a sequel that is a fitting testament to its genre
