The man who always obeys

“Eran: A Man who always obeys” is a gripping political drama set in contemporary India, highlighting the growing influence of young individuals who blindly adhere to the agendas of political parties. In the state of Kerala, where political rivalry runs deep, over 200 lives have been claimed in the past two decades. Shockingly, more than 2,000 young people have been convicted for these crimes, many of whom were unwittingly ensnared by their own parties.

The film delves into the dark underbelly of politics, exposing the lengths to which ambitious individuals are willing to go for personal gain and the survival of their respective parties. Amidst this web of loyalty, friendships are sacrificed, and moral compromises are made, painting a haunting picture of opportunism and betrayal. Blinded by loyalty and sincerity towards their chosen political party, they unknowingly become pawns in the manipulative schemes of their party leaders.

  • SHIJU BALAGOPALAN
    CINEMATOGRAPHY, SOUND DESIGN, DI & DIRECTION
  • Sajumon AC
    Producer
  • MANEESH MJ
    STORY, SCREENPLAY & DIALOGUES
  • HAMEED PAZHASSI
    EXCICUTIVE PRODUCER
  • PRASHOBH K
    EDITOR
  • SHINU BALAGOPALAN
    PROJECT DESIGNER
  • HARIMURALI UNNIKRISHNAN
    ORIGINAL BACKGROUND SCORE
  • PRIYANKA SATHYANATHAN
    STILLS
  • ARUN MUZHAKKUNNU
    CHIEF ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
  • Abhijith CT CHOOLIYAD
    Key Cast
    "Ramesan"
  • VYSHAKH KUTTIKRISHNAN
    Key Cast
    "SUBHASH"
  • PRADHEEP KANKOL
    Key Cast
    "PRADHEEPAN"
  • SHYAM KRISHNAN
    Key Cast
    "KUTTAN"
  • VINOD NIDUVALOOR
    Key Cast
    "SUNI"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Eran (എറാന്‍)
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 15, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    13,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Malayalam
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, BRAW
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography

I was born in the hilly area of Kannur district in Kerala, and due to the financial difficulties in my family, I had to work in a meat shop and part-time jobs from other relatives to complete my high school education. During that time, my interest in cinema began while watching movies from the VCR cassettes available in those houses. Later, I learned the basics of editing through studying editing techniques and started working at a local channel. Along with that, I also had a fascination for becoming a film director.

I approached many directors to become an assistant director. But it didn't reach the target. It was during that time that I came across an article about renowned filmmaker John Abraham and Odessa film. This made me aware of the concept of collective cinema and sparked my interest. With this inspiration, I gathered money from the locals and made a film without any prior experience in film production. This film was screened in various movie theaters across the Malabar region titled as “Nanmakal pookkunna naattil” through crowd funding. Encouraged by this success, another film called "Ilam Veil" was made using the same model. It was screened in government theaters.

Following this, my first-ever international film festival participation introduced me to more impactful cinema experiences. Determined to being more such movies to the forefront and enhance the quality of cinema within a limited budget, I learned the technical aspects including camera, editing, sound recording, mixing, coloring, DI, etc., for a period of 10 years. Afterward, the film "Iran" happened, where I fulfilled all the pre-production, production, and post-production works. It was completed entirely in my hometown, Thillankeri, a small village.

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Director Statement

I grew up hearing about murders and assaults. In my home state of Kerala, especially in Kannur, political killings and attacks were happening regularly. Many of my close acquaintances were killed in it. Some were arrested and subsequently convicted. This upset me as much as everyone else. That's how I thought about turning these issues into a movie. It was my dream to make a good movie with a minimum budget. But making a technically sound film on a low budget was a challenge. Therefore, to minimize the budget, it was decided to independently handle all the technical aspects of the film until a certain limit. Thus, for a period of ten years, extensive studies were conducted in all technical aspects of the film, such as camera, sound designing, sound recording, Sound mixing, color grading, etc. Additionally, efforts were made to release this film with very minimal expenses and to showcase it with high-quality output. Moreover, the entire production and post-production tasks were completed successfully in Thillankeri, a village in my native place.