Private Project

Saakshatkaaram

Our world, the only known place where life exists, is a tiny speck in this vast universe. When we realize that, this is the only family we have, all the differences like boundaries, religions, colours and languages that divide us, vanish and we attain Saakshatkaaram, the realisation.

Shortfilm Saakshatkaaram is about the inner journey of a man, mourning his wife’s death and his search for finding redemption. He decides to meet a family from a foreign country; only because his wife’s hands now belong to one of them and are alive!

  • Sudesh Balan
    Director
  • Sudesh Balan
    Writer
  • IIT Bombay
    Producer
  • Sheeja V. Vasudevan
    Producer
  • Prakas V. G. (Vettukili Prakash)
    Key Cast
    "Warrier"
  • Lakshmi Quinio (Paris Laxmi)
    Key Cast
    "Samira"
  • Saritha Kukku
    Key Cast
    "Late Wife"
  • Saawan Rithu
    Key Cast
    "Samira's Daughter"
  • Dr. Sajish M.
    Key Cast
    "Doctor"
  • Sirus Sharifi
    Key Cast
    "Farshad"
  • Master Prayag
    Key Cast
    "Crying Boy"
  • Kalamandalam Pradeep
    Key Cast
    "Crying Boy's Father"
  • Azif Ismail
    Key Cast
    "Additional Character"
  • Hari Namboodiri
    Key Cast
    "Additional Character"
  • Sreejith
    Key Cast
    "Additional Character"
  • Prayag Mukundan
    Cinematography
  • Rajesh Naroth
    Music & Sound Design
  • N. G. Roshan
    Prosthetics & Makeup
  • Hamza Vallithode
    Production Designer
  • Siddharth Aredath
    Costume Designer
  • Sam Santhosh
    Location Sound Recordist
  • Jishnu Krishnan
    Associate Director
  • Anand P. G.
    Flute
  • Karthik Kumar
    Associate cameraman
  • Visakh K. N.
    Assistant Cameraman
  • Rajith
    Focus Puller
  • Prasanth P. Menon
    Foley Design
  • Russel Issac Stephen
    Sound Mixing
  • Vysakh Reetha
    Executive Producer
  • Nikhil P. S.
    Production Manager
  • Krishnaprasad K. Sudesh
    Assistant Director
  • Karthik S. Kumar
    Art Associate
  • Motherland Cine Unit, Cochin
    Light Unit
  • Jomon Mathew
    Light Assistants
  • Santhosh M.
    Light Assistants
  • Syam S.
    Light Assistants
  • Jishnu Mohanan
    Light Assistants
  • Joy Vellathooval
    Camera Unit First Assistant
  • Ashik
    Second Assistant
  • Jagateesh
    Second Assistant
  • Hirosh
    Poster Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 29, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Malayalam
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sudesh Balan

Prof. Sudesh Balan is a faculty member at IDC School of Design in IIT Bombay and a recipient of the prestigious, Prof. S. P. Sukhatme Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020). His specialization is in photography and filmmaking with an emphasis on digital media. Also he is a consultant to film industry doing VFX photography and cinematography requiring high precision.

Prof. Balan holds a bachelors degree in architecture from College of Engineering Trivandrum. Since graduation in 1996, he was working as an architect. With an interest in photography, he joined Visual Communication programme as a student at IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay in 1997 and graduated with an MDes. His projects involved understanding lens optics and image manipulation using large format mono rail view cameras.

With an intention to specialize in cinematography, he left India and started studying film production using digital technology which was at its infancy. In 2007, after completing his Master of Fine Arts in Mass Communication and Media Arts from Department of Cinema and Photography in Southern Illinois University, he moved to Los Angeles and was working in commercial and independent film productions in California until he returned to India. Since December 2009, Prof. Balan is teaching at IIT Bombay.

His short-film Boundaries of Memory was selected in the prestigious Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India 2016.

You can read more about his work at: https://tinyurl.com/sbalan

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Director Statement

Our world is, a tiny speck in this vast universe. When we realize that, this is the only family we have, all that divide us, vanish and we attain Saakshatkaaram.