Film director Jude Anthany Joseph’s latest film 2018 has been released in the theatres on May 5. The Malayalam-language thriller is based against the backdrop of the devastating 2018 Kerala Floods. Having an IMDB rating of 9 out of 10, 2018 is currently on the receiving end of praises and compliments. But, there are people who have found faults in the Jude Anthany directorial. One among them is PS Sreekala, the director of the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission. According to Sreekala, 2018 is based on “half-truths” accompanied by numerous incidents of camouflaging the truth, evident distortions, and a lack of proper research by Jude.
In an extensive social media post, the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission director expressed her disapproval of 2018’s film execution. “Presentation of half-truths is as dangerous and scandalous as propaganda. Cinema is an area that has benefited greatly from the development of technology. It is in this context that some films needn’t be celebrated. On the contrary, it would be a pity not to use such possibilities according to the content,” she wrote.
“But it is a clever strategy to harness the best of technology… Jude Anthany has applied that strategy well in the film. The director was heard saying that this film was born out of his guilt. I don’t know if he really said that. If he has said that then the guilt should come from the unscientific observation that the opening of the dam was the cause of the 2018 floods. And the film more or less tries to establish that theory to an extent,” added Sreekala.
Steering clear from her discontent, Sreekala acknowledged that it was a “heartening” experience to watch all the Keralites coming together to join the recuse operations. But she pointed out that 2018 portrayed the Kerala Chief Minister to be helpless, which she argued was not the case. Sreekala said that the CM was always at the helm of the matters, urging people to come forward.
Sreekala further highlighted the lack of research in 2018 as she penned, “There were a few casteist folks who refused to get into the boats that reeked of fish. The main hurdles before the boats were the large gates and walls in front of many homes. The youth came forward voluntarily under the leadership of the local self-governing institutions. They were coordinated by local governments.”
To conclude Sreekala questioned, “2018 is a film based on certain factual distortions, camouflages, lies, and some truths. What is the difference between art without honesty and justice and media that spread lies?”
2018 boasts a star-studded cast that comprises Tovini Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Aparna Balamurali, Shebin Benson, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Kalaiyarasan, and Indrans in important roles.
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