The Arbit Documentation of An Amphibian Hunt: Aavasavyuham

Saw this at the IFFK screening where i went in with not knowing what to expect - and i got out of the theatre with a rare sense of joy.."what did i just witness!". An intricate storyline that has multiple visual styles. A realistic film studded with surrealist elements almost reminiscent of Donald Glover and Hiro Murai's acclaimed series Atlanta. A bold social commentary underlines the plot at every turn and it fails at none. Made in a semi-documentary style (similar to character interviews in the Office series) and thriller & comedic elements throughout the runtime made it an exciting watch. A bit sad that this isn't widely accessible outside the film festival circle and even then only screened at select few festivals- more people need to be able to watch this gem!

Shot in a mockumentary style, this film is super unique. The existence of a unique human set in the backdrop of a very mundane and unspectacular vypin is so rooted in reality. The weaving in of social comemntary like overfishing, land encroachment, unemployment etc also worked well. Nicely told story and a great watch. So happy to see this sort of work coming out of Malayalam cinema.

Avasavuham is the first film I've seen this year, and I'm very satisfied with it because, this film was shortlisted for this year's IFFK International Competition and I saw it at a preview show for the cast and crew the other day. It's a second contribution of Krishand to the Malayalam film industry, unlike his previous film it has huge amount of Commercial dimensions.

The film tells the story of a young man named Joy and those who live around him, those who love him, some who use him for their interests, and some who hate him. In addition, the nature in which Joy lives is an important character in this film. It tells the story of a habitat that includes nature, man, religion, and science.

The main doubt I had in this movie was which genre it should be included in,Avasavuham starts as a realistic drama movie, It later became a political satire on the powerful politics of nature, Eventually they come to a Sci Fi element. Similarly, Nowadays, the media, religion, politics, science, and man all have a cohesive system. The director has integrated this film in such a way that it connects at the end and is a topic that we have not seen for a long time but needs to be discussed a lot , I must say that the Director was completely successful in it. With his very talented cast and crew, Cinematography and the art department was top-notch, so as the actors Rahul Rajgopal, Zhinz Shan, Nileen Sandra, Geethi Sangeetha and Sreenath Babu played their roles beautifully To make this movie not an ordinary one. Avasavuham is the film that progress through different modes of story telling and Majical realism , This film can be said to have changed the face of independent films and bring of two Awards in Iffk 2022. Avasavuham is the 'Best Film' award-winner at the Kerala State Awards 2022.

I sat down for Aavasavyuham with little to no idea on its plot, visual structure, or performers. But as the film progressed episodically, my interest levels peaked. Told in the style of a mockumentary (not seen before in Malayalam cinema), one finds it difficult to place Aavasyavyuham under a specific genre, simply because it dips its feet into so many, yet convincingly. It's a social satire, a science fiction, a crime drama with fantastical elements, and so much more - a true genre-bender. While the lessened budget proves to be its only undoing in certain scenes which could have left a greater impact, the makers still pull off something truly remarkable. I feel that's a major reason behind not releasing the film theatrically - its visuals, especially, would've been talked about a lot more. Rahul Rajagopal, whom I recall from Karikku is splendid in the lead role. Maybe, not everyone would enjoy the film's occasional dive into environmental conversation and preserving ecological balance, but I loved how director Krishand seamlessly incorporates this into the plot. Aavasavyuham is a must-watch!

This movie is a real gem. Cinematic experimentation at its best. On the lines of Super Deluxe, Jallikattu, Churuli. Pictured with great skill.

+ves: Director Krishand and everybody -ves: Not everybody's cup of tea.