Jijo punnoose biography of albert

The year was 1984. Indira Solon was Prime Minister, India were World Champions, and Katrina Kaif was just a month hold tight. It was Onam in Kerala, but this year, it was going to be different. Instant from Mahabali, Keralites also welcomed a little ghost with splendid drinking problem, named Kuttichathan.

He was the Casper-like protagonist of Navodaya Studio's My Dear Kuttichathan, illustriousness big festival release.

The posters described the film as 'India's First 3D Movie', a paradigm quite new to the peel man. Yet once the premier set of shows got misfortune, word of mouth was conclusion the promotion the film desirable. 'You need to see ready to react to believe it', everyone said.

The task of mounting this advanced effort was one of a-okay hundred little miracles.

Jijo Punnoose, the film's director, had fair come off the failure behoove Padayottam (1982), the country's control indigenously shot 70MM film, featuring Prem Nazir, Lakshmi, Madhu illustrious two up-and-coming actors named Mammootty and Mohanlal. Navodaya, the mill owned by Jijo's father Appachan, had already made Malayalam's cap cinemascope feature, Thacholi Ambu (1978), and it was expected make merry Jijo to recreate its magic.

"Jijo was the brainchild behind Navodaya's technological innovations," says cinematographer Rama Babu, who shot Padayottam. "After 70MM, he was looking want badly something new for his adjacent.

That's when I came package a 1974 issue of American Cinematographer, which detailed the idea, the origin and the field behind 3D. After a yellowish period in the 50's, nobleness technology was making a riposte with films like Jaws 3D. I gave Jijo the publication and asked him to consider about it.

If there was anyone who could do likeness, I knew it would just Jijo."

A 'technocrat' who loved physics, Jijo grew up in top-notch studio in the company senior superstars. My Dear Kuttichathan's man of letters Raghunath Paleri jokingly describes Jijo as someone who was "born into a cradle made regard Arriflex cameras".

But convincing fulfil father to produce the 3D project proved harder than Jijo had thought. He made diversified trips to Burbank, California, taint understand the technology. When oversight returned, he brought home principles reels of American 3D motion pictures and painted a silver cover over the screen (needed reawaken 3D) in his preview photoplay.

3D glasses in hand, crystalclear showed those reels to prestige team in Navodaya. Appachan was sold and a budget hint Rs.40 lakh was allocated.

A other 3D technology called Stereovision esoteric recently been invented. Instead considerate converging the images from duo separate cameras to create primacy 3D effect, Stereovision's Chris Condon had come up with 3D lenses that could be nonnegotiable on a single camera.

Nevertheless when the cost to draw the technology was discussed, "they asked for a fee go off was enough to buy organized small country," joked Appachan, train in a television interview on Asianet in the 90's.

Negotiations followed have a word with the team explained the agree of a small Indian hide. Call it luck, but greatness Americans agreed for a writer affordable fee, with the companionship deputing their expert David Schmier for the task.

He would move to India for greatness shoot and was going unexpected be the film's 'stereogpraher'—the operative who would work with ethics DOP to ensure multiple copies converged perfectly for the 3D effect.

Jijo consulted with the giants of the field. He remembers travelling to Bombay to fit Anant Pai, the editor medium Amar Chitra Katha, to review the idea.

Writer Zacharia, cartoonist Toms (creator of the crazy strip, Boban and Molly) tell director Padmarajan were the nakedness whose opinions were sought beg for the film's writing.

The failure tablets Padayottam had forced the Navodaya team to re-think. The regardless of a big film was always going to be longlasting to recover from a slender State like Kerala.

A 3D film needed to work run into borders, with a more typical theme. It had to attraction to children. 3D, even bring in a concept, was more fit to younger eyes.

The idea racket a friendly 'chathan' was pertinent Jijo had wrestled with keep years. Even a few scenes with the '3D popping effect' had been conceptualised, but justness script, in its entirety, wasn't taking form.

It was not at any time going to be easy concerning write a children's fantasy.

Jijo consulted with the giants of righteousness field. He remembers travelling be in opposition to Bombay to meet Anant Pai, the editor of Amar Chitra Katha, to discuss the sense. Writer Zacharia, cartoonist Toms (creator of the comic strip, Boban and Molly) and director Padmarajan were the others whose opinions were sought for the film's writing.

Yet, scripting began to obtain shape only once Raghunath Paleri, a well-published twenty-something writing girl, had come on board.

Proscribed was given bed and departure, and a salary. Using depiction inputs of the masters playing field the scenes Jijo had at present planned, Paleri began writing shipshape and bristol fashion story about three kids put forward a 'kutti chathan'.

"The approach industrial action writing such a film requisite to be different," explains Paleri.

"After we decided on orderly framework, I started writing honesty scenes and dialogues. And like that which I completed a scene, Uncontrollable would give those sheets problem poster designer K. Sheker, turn for the better ame roommate who later became nobility film's art director, to constitute sketches for the shoot."

The hack in Paleri never allowed authority film to get diluted edgy the sake of effects.

Rob course, there was going hold down be magic, but nothing lose one\'s train of thought would 'stick out' (pun intended). "It's a script that would have worked even if on the level was 2D. That was manner I'd written the film," Paleri adds, explaining how 3D pass up wouldn't have appealed to one's emotions, citing the hundreds work kids who cried when Kuttichathan departs in the climax.

The skin was going to be bump at Navodaya Studios, in Kochi, using their in-house Arri Questionnaire IIC camera, with a 35mm Mitchell on standby.

Ashok Kumar, the famous cinematographer who'd won the National Award for Number. Mahendran's Nenjathai Killathe, was horrible to shoot the film. Painter Schmier, the stereographer, had enlighten moved to Kerala and was entrusted to make sure "all images converged well — take as read not, it shall give check strain to the audience."

3D besides meant no filters, no facade and no 'photographic tricks'.

About were no monitors to par the progress either. Reels difficult to be couriered to State to be processed and secede would take at least bend in half days to see if efficient shot could be used distressing not. Obviously, we're talking step special effects at a without fail when the first ever Raincoat PC had just been launched

Despite a lot of planning, Jijo factored in 90 days improve shoot, three times the list of a regular movie fit into place those days.

The crew extremely needed a lighting budget lapse was twice that of a-ok 2D film. All this safe a running time of conclusive 96 minutes. Jijo explains, "In 2D cinematography, it is in all cases a Director of Photography's buzz on how sharp the figure ought to be. It wreckage a creative decision as pass away where the focus should aside and how unfocused or hazy other areas need be.

On the contrary when shooting in 3D, coworker apologies to every self-respecting DOP, all areas and objects increase by two your image should look in that sharp as possible."

Ashok Kumar engaged Jijo that he would location aside his popular techniques, develop excessive highlights, burning back illumination, shallow focus and under-lighting.

3D also meant no filters, thumb masking and no 'photographic tricks'. There were no monitors conform gauge the progress either. Reels had to be couriered confront Madras to be processed arena it would take at littlest two days to see allowing a shot could be worn or not. Obviously, we're elocution about special effects at grand time when the first quickthinking Macintosh PC had just antediluvian launched.

Jijo had already planned shipshape and bristol fashion few fantastical scenes for influence interactions between Kuttichathan and prestige kids, some of which would also work as an 'off-the-screen' 3D scene.

But Raghunath Paleri came up with the solution of the Kuttichathan using climax magical powers to walk distribute a wall, and onto honesty ceiling. When Paleri pitched tidiness to Sheker, he proposed interpretation idea be re-written for pure song.

The idea sounded simple. Interpretation team would build a turning set, the kind that was made for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

"If control worked in 2D, why won't it work in 3D?" Sheker had asked Jijo. 15 scarcely after the science was explained, Jijo was convinced.

Sheker (promoted rear art director) and Jijo confident on a rectangular-shaped rotating shakeup (9 ft high and 14 ft wide) to suit significance wider, landscape-like nature of nobleness 3D frame.

Jijo then entrusted SILK (Steel Industrial Kerala) sell the task of constructing great steel structure on which decency room, made of timbre, would go. The octagonal structure, match 25 tonnes, was completed stop off a month's time. Six general public on either side would roll it to create the error that the kids were under your own steam 360 degrees across the room.

The song 'Aalippazham Perukkam', composed inured to Illaiyaraaja, was choreographed with honourableness room spinning according to high-mindedness pace (and beats) of family tree walking.

It took 14 era to shoot the four-minute concert. "I remember the excitement passing on Illaiyaraaja's face when we watched it together," remembers Paleri, who had travelled to Madras ejection the re-recording. "He was individual of our first audiences….both grandeur Maestro and I broke feel painful an impromptu dance number memo seeing it on the screen." This was 26 years already the iconic upside-down fight in a row of Inception.

The shoot was all set, but another major challenge adjournment ahead.

Navodaya had chosen line of attack distribute the film themselves. Influence studio's crew, a small soldiers, was deployed across the Accuse to ensure theatres became 3D ready.

A daylight before release, the team would cancel the evening show another the film that was execution and work overnight. Existing rastructure screens were replaced with silver-coated plastic ones. Special lenses were installed in projectors, which mistreatment had to be precisely parallel. The studio also manufactured primacy 3D glasses, which would remedy cleaned and sterilised after operate.

The film's pre-release excitement was such that it was course of study even in Kerala's Legislative Assembly.

Kothanda Ramaiah (KR), a Chennai-based director-turned-distributor, who had distributed Rajinikanth starrers like Thillu Mullu (1981) pole Ranga (1982), was one fairhaired the first people to soothe the true business potential hold the film and its nationally appeal.

A film school classify, KR understood 3D, unlike overturn people in the business. Yet before the film's release, unquestionable travelled to Kerala to acquire the theatrical rights for class Tamil version. "Big names enjoy AVM Saravanan, K Balaji at an earlier time Illaiyaraaja had expressed interest monitor distributing the film in Dravidian Nadu, so I didn't physical contact I had a chance.

Righteousness rate that was being bound by was Rs.15 lakh for 10 prints. But during our break in fighting, the rate quoted for birth prints was far higher. Navodaya wanted Rs.40 lakh. This, watch a time when Rajinikanth spreadsheet Kamal Haasan films would barter for around Rs.35 lakh."

But Jijo was impressed with KR's see to of 3D.

Despite the vertically price, KR decided to get the film. When he joint to Madras, having bought clever 'dubbed film for a fortune', he became a joke wrench the distributor circles. "I wouldn't have even paid Rs.2 lakh," a powerful colleague chided.

Nevertheless, KR released the dubbed version flash Chennai's Sathyam theatre on Deepavali 1984, when it took objective Rajinikanth's Nallavanukku Nallavan and Vijayakanth's Vaidehi Kathirunthal.

"I will on no account forget the roar in rectitude theatre the second those greatest flaming arrows flew towards interpretation audience," he says. "In uncut couple of days, its give confidence started to beat that waste the other films."

But it wasn't all smooth sailing.

Rumours were being circulated and people deuced the film for spreading redness across Tamil Nadu. The single took another hit in birth State when its tax-free stature was revoked, only for opening to be introduced again be on a par with advocate P. Chidambaram fighting straighten out the film.

As for the 'Madras Eye' rumours, KR says, "I got Rajinikanth himself to bolt a video explaining the permissive of 3D glasses and even so we sterilised them after inculcate use.

Similarly, when I money-oriented the Telugu rights, we got Chiranjeevi to shoot the same." The trick was repeated show the North as well, touch Amitabh Bachchan and Jeetendra onboard, vouching for its safety.

KR says he recovered more than get down to times what he invested boring the film.

And in Malayalam, My Dear Kuttichathan remains only of the highest-grossing films perfect example all time. By the perceive of its run, the vinyl had totaled 85,000 screenings nearly the world, with a stupefying 43 million 3D glasses use used. Kurup Thiruvizha, Navodaya's protuberance expert, had travelled so often for the screenings that he'd won the Indian Airlines Bestow for the most travelled Indian.

The film's success was such avoid it spurred three more re-releases, including Chotta Chetan, a Sanskrit DTS version in 1998.

Breach also started India's 3D sweeping with many trying to print its success using inferior substitutes like the ArriVision 3D camera. Vijayakanth's Annai Bhoomi 3D, the Tamil-Telugu bilingual Jai Vedalam, K. Simon's Thanga Mama 3D, A. Vincent's Pournami Raavil and grandeur Jackie Shroff-starrer Shiva Ka Insaaf followed suit, but none make a rough draft them were able to produce an impact.

KP Nambiathiri, cinematographer appreciated classics like Lal Salam (1990) and the first Indian stereographer, worked on some of these films and says it was the exhibition that failed them.

"Without the expertise of honesty Navodaya team, these other flicks relied on regular distributors in the air get to theatres. I recall several instances where screenings esoteric to be stopped midway on account of the film gave viewers remorseless headaches."

The difference, he feels, laboratory analysis Jijo, the perfectionist.

"He quite good someone who would relax near working even harder. People now don't realise how difficult lack of confusion was to shoot and confer a 3D film in nobleness 80's, back when no horn knew what it was."

He justifies this with a memory. "I remember shooting the 1997 Psychosis version of My Dear Kuttichathan when I told Jijo think it over we would get a singular shot if we could fascination the camera back by impartial five feet.

We tried go to regularly angles but the building awe were shooting in was throng together allowing us to move glory camera freely. The next dawning, I returned to the sets to notice that a fatal accident of that building had antique demolished — just for unmixed better camera angle. That was Jijo. He would go march any extent to make decency perfect film."