One night, in the high ranges of Kerala, people are woken up by rumbling sounds that seemed to originate from under the earth. Rattled, they scatter about, unsure of what would follow. When these occurrences keep repeating, threatening their very peace and stability, people are forced to abandon their homes and migrate to “safer” places.
But where are these “safer” places? asks debutant film director Sreekanth Pangapattu, whose film, Boothalam (Hidden Tremors), which is based on the lives of these climate refugees, will be screened as the only Malayalam feature film entry at the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
“We, in Kerala, have been facing one ecological disaster after another. Where are the safe places? Where do we go from here?” Sreekanth asks.
A still from the film
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Bhoothalam centres on ordinary people living in an environmentally fragile area and how they navigate through the challenges posed by their land and their lives. As they grapple with the larger ecological grief, they also have to deal with their personal crises. The film, written and directed by Sreekanth, explores ideas of loss and survival in an unstable world.
Hailing from Kanjirapally, Sreekanth has experienced these tremors himself, he says, and heard of it happening in nearby places such as Chenappady and other hilly regions in Kerala. “The thundering sound is unnerving. Geologists explain they are caused by subtle seismic shifts (that measure up to 2.1 on the Richter scale), but to a common man, they can be terrifying.”
Sreekanth Pangapattu
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Over the years, climate change and unregulated developmental plans have had an impact on the land and its people, observes Sreekanth, an architect by profession. (Sreekanth has his own firm, PG Group Designs, based in Kanjirappally).
A writer, with six short-story collections to his credit, Sreekanth based one of his stories, titled Muzhakkam, on this phenomenon of seismic shift. “I wanted to explore this further, did my reasearch — speaking to geologists and environmental experts. I wanted to understand the plight of the people living in a disaster prone land, struggling with uncertainties of various kinds. That led to Bhoothalam,” he adds.
Headlined by Indrans, the film also stars theatre actor NS Thara, Kalabhavan Rahman, Manuraj, Babu Manappally and Babu Sebastian in significant roles. “Indrans was a conscious choice for the role as his style and mannerisms were a perfect fit for the character. The audience would be able to relate to him easily,” says Sreekanth.
Cinema, a passion
Cinema is not alien to Sreekanth. Before starting his architectural practice, he was part of production designer Sabu Cyril’s team as an assistant. “Cinema is my passion. I was curious about it and as a medium, it is a constant source of inspiration for me,” says Sreekanth, who has directed three short films.
He wrote the script for Bhoothalam in 2024, and things panned out faster than he expected. The shoot was completed in 25 days. Shot at Meladukkam, in Kottayam district, 3,500 feet above sea level, the location itself posed several challenges. “The climate was adverse and we often had to deal with thunder and lightning while shooting,” says Sreekanth.
While Nikhil S Praveen has handled the cinematography, the editing is by Vishal VS. Rajesh Chalachitram’s sound effects and Erik Johnson’s background score add to the poignancy of the theme. The 88-minute festival is doing its festival rounds and will be screened at VIFF in October.
Published – September 04, 2025 08:16 pm IST
