Director Jude Anthany shares behind-the-scenes works of his film ‘2018 : Everyone is a Hero’

Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian film ‘2018: Everyone is a Hero’ has garnered attention as the official entry from Bharat for the Oscars. Despite the fact that the film couldn’t secure a spot in the top 15 films for the Best International Feature Film category, the film’s crew, including director Jude Antony, producer Venu Kunnappilly, cinematographer Akhil George, editor Chaman Chakko, and production designer Mohandas, recently shared a behind-the-scenes video of the film’s making through the official Oscars YouTube channel.

In the video, director Jude Anthany said that “the film was shot in a set built on 12-acre land in Vaikom, where the flood scenes were shot in a large tank built on a two-acre plot. The illusion of rising water levels was achieved by removing the basements of the houses so that we don’t need more water in the tank.”

He continued, “the initial idea of considering hydraulic equipment to simulate boat motion and turbulent waves, was abandoned due to its perceived expense and time-consuming nature. In pursuit of a more efficient solution, the team opted for a manual approach, by shaking the boat using an iron rod and creating the desired stormy waves. There were consistently 10–15 individuals present around the boats during the filming process. This group included assistant directors, art assistants, and the art director.”

He concluded by saying that “the highlight of the film was the helicopter sequence, which had posed significant challenges due to budget constraints to rent a helicopter. And then we thought to build a duplicate helicopter. Production designer Mohandas successfully replicated 90% of the original helicopter, requiring meticulous research to build it. It took a full eight nights to complete the helicopter scene. The team used thermocol  to recreate roof tiles for a realistic scattering effect as the helicopter approached. “

Producer Vinu Kunnappilly mentioned that waves were generated using JCB’s arm to simulate wave movements. A large tank was kept above, and through the use of a ramp, the tank was flipped to swiftly release water below. Two tanks were employed, with one placed above and another positioned below, both proving to be highly effective in creating realistic wave effects.