Malayalam film ‘Randuper’ to be released across OTT platforms

Prem Sankar’s 2017-IFFK entry ‘Randuper’ will stream on Nee Stream, Cave, Koode and Saina Play

What happens to a man whose lover has just ended their relationship? He lives in his car for two days, travels aimlessly, drinks and contemplates his life’s events. What happens to a woman who has just ended her relationship with her lover? She quits her job, drinks a bit and tries hard to get over the guy. That’s the plotline of Randuper directed by Prem Sankar. Screened at the International Competition category of the 22nd International Film Festival of Kerala in 2017, the Malayalam film finds a fresh release across OTT platforms.

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Shot in Bengaluru in 2016, the slow, yet compelling film is a take on the man-woman relationship. It is also an attempt to explore the nuances of the Malayali psyche — how a Malayali views relationships in his/her homeland and outside, says Prem. Five years later, the film still finds resonance. The gender dynamics outside Kerala are considerably different, says Prem. “The film explores gender politics and equality in its own way. It is not just a take on relationships. I like to explore the space that relationships create for conversation. The break up is used here as a metaphor,” he adds.

A still from the film ‘Randuper’ 

Randuper did not find a theatre release. “For a small-budget film without big stars, it was difficult to get a theatre-release,” shares Prem. “Also, I guess, after the film was selected for IFFK and brought in positive reviews, I felt like my work as a filmmaker was done,” he says, over phone from Kochi.

Prem, an ad-film maker, shot Randuper for the sheer love of filmmaking. Most of the crew had other day jobs and the film was shot at night. The rise of OTT platforms have opened new avenues for filmmakers, but the platform demands a certain way of filmmaking, says Prem. “You have to create something that can engage the viewer right from the first shot. Unlike in a theatrewhere there is a certain discipline in watching, in the OTT scenario, there are probably a number of distractions. The challenge is to bridge this gap.”

Randuper has Bipin Basil Paulose and Santhy Balachandran in the lead roles, with Suraj Venjaramood and Alencier making short appearances.

Produced by KS Arunkumar, the film will be streamed from July 9 on Nee Stream, Cave, Saina Play and Koode.

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