Eko: Bahul Ramesh on how he ‘sacrificed’ a story to build his Animal trilogy | Exclusive

From Asif Ali-starrer Kishkindha Kaandam to the series Kerala Crime Files Season 2, and now Eko, Bahul Ramesh traces the journey of his Animal trilogy, which inevitably involved ‘sacrificing’ a story.

Bahul Ramesh, animal trilogy

Bahul Ramesh does not believe in instant dopamine shots, triggered by social media attention. Instead, the Eko writer-cinematographer vouches for keeping a low profile and only announcing his projects after everything is on the clear. So much so that, when he first wrote his first film, Kishkindha Kaandam, during Covid lockdown, he did not pitch it to anyone, and quietly went on to pen the next, sensing the potential of a trilogy. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Bahul Ramesh talks about how the idea of the Animal trilogy developed, which he terms as an ‘innocent’ aspiration. From Asif Ali-starrer Kishkindha Kaandam ( with a link to monkeys near a forest) to the series Kerala Crime Files Season 2, and now the latest thriller Eko (both on dogs), Bahul Ramesh traces the journey, which inevitably involved ‘sacrificing’ a story.

Bahul Ramesh's Animal trilogy

Bahul Ramesh has the distinction of being a screenwriter-cinematographer. But Bahul tells OTTplay that he always wanted to be a writer/director and took up cinematography for a more stable life in cinema. But he was prompted to pursue his real passion during the Covid lockdown, when the entire film world came to a standstill, and there was no work.

“I started using that time to write; there was no formal commitment then. I didn't inform anyone about my writing. First wrote Kishkindha Kaandam, then thought of making it an animal trilogy. I did not show or pitch it to anyone, apart from family. Because then I didn’t have a profile, even Kishkindha Kaandam had not started," stated Bahul. Dinjith Ayyathan helmed Kishkindha Kaandam which stars Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali and Vijayaraghavan.

"Then there was a delay over starting Kishkindha Kaandam, and I could not go for other cinematography work, because I had already committed to the Asif Ali-starrer. I wanted to feel productive, so I wrote Eko as a time-pass. Even after I finished writing Eko (with a pack of dogs at its centre), the Kishkindha Kaandam shoot had not started. Again, I thought, let’s not waste time, and I wrote one more script as part of the trilogy,” he recounted. Kishkindha Kaandam finally released in 2024 and became a hit.

Entry into Kerala Crimes Files

It would truly be a moment of the universe collaborating to fulfill his dream that the very next day after the Kishkindha Kaandam shoot wrapped up, Kerala Crime Files director Ahammed Khabeer called and sought to collaborate together.

“I knew that Kerala Crime Files Season 2 would release sometime after Kishkindha Kaandam and before Eko, so my dilemma was how to fit my story in the series, which is a police investigation. It is an extension of an already established franchise, so I could not fully dismantle that world. I had to stay within that story world and include those characters. The dilemma was how to link to my world," Bahul said.

"So I had written a third story, which had the premise of a dog retirement shelter. So I just took the backdrop of a dog rehabilitation home for the series for the Kerala crime files. That was an entirely different genre, tale and characters. Only that institution, which is not used in many films, was taken for the series. That script is not relevant anymore. I sacrificed that script for Kerala Crime Files, and to make it a part of the trilogy. But I am happy, all the aspirations were fulfilled, including working with Ahammed ikka,” remarked Bahul.

Kerala Crime Files 2 - The Search for CPO Ambili Raju, released earlier this year, is a police investigation series with season 1 written by Ashiq Aimar. In Bahul-penned Season 2, a team of cops try to track down CPO Ambili Raju whose disappearance is linked to dogs. The third season of Kerala Crime Files have been announced by JioHotstar recently.

Also read: Eko: Bahul Ramesh explains how Mammootty's The Priest helped him shed his fear of working with dogs

Why trilogy about animals

Bahul confesses that he had a fascination for building a franchise after seeing many filmmakers/literary writers’ portfolios, where there are multiple works with a common thread. “This is a personal aspiration; it is not anybody else’s concern. Also, all the subjects that are being dealt with are serious subjects of moral conflicts, so when an animal connection comes, I believe it prevents the content from going into too much of a dark zone. At least for me, while writing, animal-related content is relaxing. If someone comes across one of the films 4-5 years later, they might be interested in finding out more about the other two titles. So all our titles will get attention that way, giving a bigger lifespan to all. Deep down, it is just an aspiration,” he added.

On keeping a low-profile over his projects, Bahul said, “Cinema is a field with a lot of uncertainty. I wrote the Eko script before the Kishkindha Kaandam shoot began. Then, we were not even sure if Kishkindha Kaandam would happen. So then announcing it to be part of a three-part project would have been too much. I am pretty practical in all these matters.”

Eko FAQs

Q. What is the next movie of bahul Ramesh?

A. The latest film of Bahul Ramesh is Eko, starring young Malayalam actor Sandeep Pradeep. It is the final chapter of his animal trilogy after the film Kishkindha Kaandam and the series Kerala Crime Files Season 2 streaming on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium.

Q. What is Eko about?

A. Eko is a Malayalam movie, which revolves around a youth named Peeyoos (Sandeep Pradeep), who takes care of an elderly Malayasian woman named Mlaathi Chettathi. She is the wife of dog breeder Kuriachan, who is now absconding.

Q. Is Kerala Crime Files Season 3 coming?

A. Yes, Kerala Crime Files Season has been renewed for season 3 by JioHotstar.

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