Reel Off The Biriyani

Although dismissed offhand as one of those 바카라�Southern바카라� frivolities바카라�think, the much-queried 바카라�h바카라� that appends not a few 바카라�t바카라�s and 바카라�d바카라�s바카라�the 바카라�i바카라� at the heart of the spelt-as-spoken biriyani is hardly superfluous. Allowances for geo-linguistic variances notwithstanding, some posit that it is a metaphor for the intensely personal relationship between sub-continental palates and the closest we have to a consensus on soul food. It바카라�s not for nothing that biriyanis regularly pip pizzas for top spot on annual consumer food-beh­aviour surveys.

While this passion has long inf­ormed and whetted mostly good-natured dinner-table deb­ates, a decidedly unsavoury manifestation has been 바카라�biriyani baiting바카라�바카라�as evinced most recently by the vitriol directed toward protestors in Shaheen Bagh, among others. To counter this appropriation, a group of cinephiles in Kerala set out in 2017 to rec­laim the biriyani by adopting it as muse, motif and remuneration for their nascent production venture.  In effect, turning the pièce de résistance itself into a means of resistance.

In December 2017, Biriyani Films­바카라� the banner features a steaming handi logo바카라�released its first short, Ma(d)am, a play on the Malayalam words for religion and madness. The three-minute film has two Hindu extremists conversing about minorities and beef over a Kerala paratha and mutton meal at a roadside hotel also patronised by two Muslim men whose meal order upends their bigoted caricature.

바카라�It was a socio-political satire, reflec­ting on the current mood prevalent in the country,바카라� says Parthan Mohan, the Trivandrum-based adman who co-f­ou­nded Biriyani Films and dir­ec­ted the short.  바카라�Ma(d)am  reflects an image of society that we live in and portrays a small slice of it, laced with a dash of humour.바카라�

The humble dumpukht as agitpunkt then, but the idea too is to channel their two loves바카라�food and cinema바카라�to create a flavour while not eschewing meatier concerns. While there is an entire library of films바카라�mostly out of Hyd­­­­era­­bad바카라�ins­pired by the biriyani, Biriyani Films may well be the first of a unique sub-genre that aims 바카라�to make bea­­utiful, relevant creative content at no financial cost, but only gastronomical cost!바카라�

바카라�The only currency we deal in is biriyani. Right from writing sessions to pre-production, from location hunts and shoots to post-production, nobody is paid in money. Only in biriyani. You don바카라�t get to choose your menu here either. There is no such thing as a vegetable biriyani!바카라� Mohan says.  

As to the variant of choice, he adds, 바카라�Trivians (people of Tri­va­ndrum) prefer a spicier biriyani, rich in onions and masala, with a boiled egg and accompanied by raita and pappadom(s). The Tha­l­assery biriyani is bland for our palates. We choose the Tri­van­drum biriyani, which has more in common to the Thal­a­p­p­akatti style (translates to 바카라�turban바카라�, made with jeera rice, star anise, mint and a medley of other spi­ces) native to southern Tamil Nadu.바카라�

Over two years and over 15 biriyanis (roughly Rs 3,000) later, Biriyani Films has been less prolific than they would like바카라�releasing their second short Ellam Sheriyaavum (바카라�Everything will be alright바카라�) about a common man바카라�s fight against bureaucratic apathy last August. Everyone in the team works in Kerala바카라�s film, television and advertising as also digital content creation industries in some capacity.

바카라�There are very senior professionals and team members are humanists at heart. People who are looking for something beyond a purely monetary relationship with cinema. We haven바카라�t had many challenges in getting like-minded people on board and the novelty of the idea was enough to spend their time for the project,바카라� Mohan says.

The films themselves appear to have found an audience and a third film, a spoof comedy titled Shudha Jaathakam (literally, Clean Horoscope), is in the dum...er, drum. Mohan stresses that while the brand may expand into a production platform and eventually monetise their videos, its core humanist ethos will not change.

바카라�Whenever it starts generating revenue, we hope to use the money to buy food for the needy and support charity ventures addressing hunger and poverty in our community,바카라� he says.

By Siddharth Premkumar in Thiruvananthapuram