The Suspect
The Suspect is a comic courtroom drama. The main character,
Howard is a drug dealer and has committed several crimes in the
past. To his surprise, he is one day in the premises where some
guy robs a bank and ends up getting accused of committing it.
In the process of proving himself not guilty during the trial,
he willfully points out that he is a murderer and a thief. The
plot twist happens towards the end of the film, when it is
revealed that the actual criminal is among the jury itself-an
elderly man incriminating himself as an Afro guy who had plotted
this master plan because Howard had killed a waitress earlier.
Every character in the courtroom- Howard, the lawyers, the jury
etc. is allowed to have a sense of humour and this conspires to
make a great comedy. All the elements, plot, dialogues,
background score, situations, reactions are fair game to be
played for humour in this film.
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LAKSHMI MAYA MENONDirector
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Lakshmi Maya MenonWriter
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Thomas SmithWriter
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LAKSHMI MAYA MENONProducer
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Farah ABProducer
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Ged PurvisKey Cast"Robber"
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Miles W HewitKey Cast"Legal advisor"
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Nikki MarshallKey Cast"Judge"
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Philip RoutledgeKey Cast"Defense lawyer"
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Kris TaylorKey Cast"Prosecution Lawyer"
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Scott Thomas PeelKey Cast"Mr Howard"Much Ado About Nothing, Sink,Psychosis, Stay
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Larissa HirdKey Cast"Extra1"
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Farah ABKey Cast"Extra 2"
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RynKey Cast"Extra 3"
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Arnold IgeviciusKey Cast"Extra 4"
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Bob JacksonKey Cast"Extra 5"
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Runtime:11 minutes 11 seconds
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Completion Date:January 1, 2020
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Production Budget:230 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - University of Sunderland
Lakshmi Menon made her directorial debut with “The Suspect.” Shot in the UK during the 202, the film is based on a criminal named Howard who is being prosecuted for a crime he
didn’t commit and pleaded himself to be not guilty in the court. She is also an upcoming producer/filmmaker approved by the National Youth Film Academy, Newcastle, UK. Lakshmi obtained her graduate degree from the University of Sunderland, where she majored in both film and tv production. She later went on to become a Producer for a leading ed-tech unicorn in India.
I directed this film, the Suspect after hearing a thread from a story my father narrated to me about a theatre drama where the storyline and the character were similar to Mr. Howard. This inspired me to create Howard's character arc. The character’s anger turns to humor. We found the lead actor, Scott, through a long casting process. His table read, along with the other main characters was amazing and their performances in this film are so strong and genuine for me to experience.