Independent filmmakers who started with the most minimal resources always have fascinating stories to tell. Take Praveen Peter, for instance. An aspiring actor, he was forced to turn director for an indie film he was headlining titled FAR (Far Away to Reality) when the man attached initially to direct bailed at the last minute.
Before we get into the details, the film’s principal cast includes Belarusian actor-dancer Irena Mihalkovich (recently seen in Jenith Kachappilly’s Mariyam Vannu Vilakkoothi), Abhinav Manikantan and Nila Cheviri.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that got the ball rolling. When a case of cold feet struck the first director, Praveen suggested that the technical crew initiate the simple task of location scouting before they could figure out an alternative solution.
“Our cinematographer Faaz Alee took his camera to get some snaps, and then, suddenly, I told him, ‘Why don’t you start shooting? I’ll direct.’ Be it Faaz or editor Joseph James, they didn’t make any guarantees, but they were on board with the idea of doing it anyway,” recalls Praveen, who quit his copywriting job to focus on filmmaking.
After a point, the team found themselves in that ‘zone’, and Praveen got busy setting up other departments, such as art, for which he relied on two of his friends from Bengaluru and Pune.
Meanwhile, the team had to deal with unforeseen dilemmas like “stolen equipment, accidents with a cow, and finding an actress through a street casting audition and then convincing her parents in the UAE about working with strangers.”
Besides, there was also the matter of ensuring they completed Irena’s segments within the dates she had allocated for them.
Alongside Praveen, who also happens to be a lyricist, everyone on the main crew, including cinematographer Faaz Alee and editor Joseph James, is new to the game. Every technical crew member has had experience associating with established professionals in the Malayalam film industry. Though the team started filming in early 2019, over 45 days in three schedules, post-production and some patch shoots got hit by delays after the onset of the pandemic the following year.
Billed a psychological drama, FAR was shot principally in Angamaly and Gokarna, with the latter serving as the lion’s share.
“We chose Gokarna not only for its picturesque appeal but also because of its relevance to the story,” explains Praveen. “Besides, I didn’t have to be too concerned about pre-production because I’ve been there a few times. I essentially imagined the locations in my mind as I wrote the script. It was an easy place to shoot, too, as it was not as commercialised as Goa, and we didn’t have to bother with shooting permits. I believe FAR is the first film to have been fully shot there.”
Produced by George Elsuse & Peter Thettayil, FAR is gearing up for release. Sony Music has bagged the audio rights. Ajeesh Anto composed the soundtrack to Vinayak Sasikumar’s lyrics.