AZEEZ KUNNAPPILLY

Aaziz Kunnappilly is a multifaceted Indian activist, journalist, environmentalist, and painter from
Kerala. He is the founder of Green People, a prominent environmental organization. Kunnappilly has been instrumental in leading protests and legal battles against the destruction of the Western Ghats forests.
His artistic endeavors extend to acting in films and working as an illustrator for periodicals.

Jalapatham was filmed during the devastating Kerala floods of 2018, a period marked by incessant landslides for nearly three months. Shooting a film in Idukki, a hilly district in the Western Ghats, without electricity, transportation, or even food supplies, was an immense challenge. We didn't even have time to write a proper script; the entire film was an experiment from start to finish.

Professional crews were unwilling to work under such extreme conditions. Charging camera batteries meant traveling over 100 kilometers. The landslide-affected areas were restricted zones, posing severe risks at every moment. In fact, the climax of the film was shot at night amidst an active landslide. We truly delved into the script after the shoot was completed. Everything you see—the heavy rain, the landslides, and the lightning—all occurred naturally during filming.
We primarily used Red, A7 S3, and drone cameras, relying entirely on natural light. Beyond these, no other professional equipment or setups were utilized for the production. The
post-production, surprisingly, came together from a single room, which served as our makeshift studio.