Shot on iPhone, ‘Kamadevan Nakshatram Kandu’ receives accolades

Thiruvananthapuram: Noted filmmaker Ann Hui had said this is the best of times for filmmaking, as anyone with a camera can make a movie, hinting at how democratic the art has become. Using an iPhone, 20 youngsters came together to shoot Malayalam movie "Kamadevan Nakshatram Kandu" (Cupid Saw the Star) that premiered at International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2024.A debut directorial by Adithya Baby, a theatre student at Pondicherry University, the movie was showcased in the ‘Malayalam Cinema Today' category. It received accolades and there was a large crowd of movie enthusiasts at its first screening at Kalabhavan. Baby said, "We decided to use the phone as a medium because it's not commonly used. We wanted to complete the shoot faster. It also helped overcome budget constraints. Many of us are students who came together from our days at the drama school in Thrissur." Beyond financial gain and revenue, love for art and the desire to make films had motivated them, said Baby.She said the movie talks about the story of our age wherein a hypersexual young man considers women as a means to quench his sexual urge. "The content inspiration came from a news item. Society is mostly hypersexual but is often ignored or not discussed. I wanted to bring that out."The film's theme revolves around questioning the actions of hypersexual humans, with Devan and Mukudi as the central characters. It highlights the tendency to view the female body as an object and disregard their emotions and thoughts. It addresses societal issues such as superstition, mental health and patriarchy.The film will be screened at Kairali Theatre on Dec 18 at 9am and at New Theatre Screen 2 on Dec 19 at 6pm.