Freedom Fight, the upcoming Malayalam anthology presented by filmmaker Jeo Baby, is set to release on SonyLIV on Friday. The director reveals that the anthology’s theme was a happy coincidence.
Produced by the makers of The Great Indian Kitchen, also directed by Jeo Baby, the anthology is a collection of five short films about freedom by directors Kunjila Mascillamani, Jeo Baby, Akhil Anilkumar, Jithin Issac Thomas, and Francies Louis.
It features actors Joju George, Rohini, Rajisha Vijayan, Srindaa, Unni Lalu and Sidhartha Siva in the lead roles.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, Jeo Baby explains how the project was conceptualised. “Last year, during the pandemic, shooting feature films became difficult given the restrictions and the safety aspect. That’s when I got the idea to make an anthology, which could be shot with a smaller cast and crew in different places.”
After finalising his story, the filmmaker was on the look out for four more stories. Initially, the aim was only to bring out five good stories. At the time, there was no plan to make an anthology based on the theme of freedom and the title was also not fixed.
“I found four potential directors and asked them to come up with their best stories in any theme or genre. When we read the screenplays of the films, we realised that all these stories coincidently dealt with the concept of freedom. So, we decided to name the film Freedom Fight. The anthology will be relatable to all audiences,” Baby adds.
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Noting that all five films are set in different genres, like drama, revolutionary film and satire, Baby mentions that he was not previously acquainted with the other directors, except for Francies Louis. Further, Freedom Fight will mark the directorial debuts of most of them.
Baby reveals that his segment will be a family drama, featuring Joju George and Rohini.
All five shorts were filmed between August and October 2021. Locations included Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
The filmmaker says that due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, they opted for a direct OTT release and the SonyLIV platform was interested in picking up Freedom Fight. “In the last two years, OTT platforms have been a boon to the industry. Films like The Great Indian Kitchen were able to reach a wider audience across boundaries because of streaming platforms,” Baby notes.