Revenge and rage

Indian thriller The Red Balloon, which has been shot in the kingdom with an all-Bahrain-based cast and crew, is set to premiere tomorrow, June 20, writes Melissa Nazareth.

The Malayalam language short film, with English and Arabic subtitles, will be screened in a private event at EPIX Cinemas, and, thereafter, made available to the public on YouTube.

Launched under the Kutti Sarah Entertainment banner, The Red Balloon, is produced by creative entrepreneur Priya Lijin and directed by cinematic talents Lijin Poyil and Vikas Surya; Priya and Lijin own Kutti Sarah Entertainment.

The cinematography has been brought alive on screen by Hariz Ekkachu, an accountant and well-known name in the local south-Indian film fraternity. The show stars many artists, including eight-year-old Sarah Lijin, Priya and Lijin’s daughter, and grade three student of The Asian School.

“It’s taken us two years to film and complete this project but we’re happy that it’s finally done,” Asha Hariz, who has a cameo in the production, told GulfWeekly.

“Even though all the cast and crew are based in the kingdom, it was difficult to get common dates for the actors, which was a major challenge.

“Plans for a sequel are underway but it will take some time and will be announced at a later date,” she revealed.

Speaking about the short film, Asha noted that the audience will not be able to predict who the ‘main hero’ is until the very end, which brings with it a ‘great plot twist’.

“The movie starts off with just one hero and heroine but then more characters are added,” she explained.

While The Red Balloon has been filmed across locations, including Salmaniya, Maameer and Malkiya, the film’s story is set in the south-Indian state of Kerala.

“We had to use props and be creative about how we filmed to give that effect.

“In fact, once, two of our actors were dressed in police uniforms and standing next to a police vehicle that had ‘Kerala police’ written on it. A duo in a car spotted them, mistook them for real and sped away in a different direction,” she said, recalling lighter moments during the filming period.