Jayaraj to release Shabdikunna Kalappa on Roots OTT

Multiple-time National Award-winning filmmaker Jayaraj is set to release his short film Shabdikunna Kalappa on over-the-top streaming service Roots OTT on May 1. This is the Mollywood filmmaker’s third release on the platform.

The short film, which is based on acclaimed Malayalam writer Ponkunnam Varkey’s short story of the same title, was screened at several documentary festivals. The short film narrates the heart-warming tale between a farmer and his ox, who he treats as his kin.

Considering that Roots OTT streams films that have nature as its theme, this directorial by Jayaraj fits the bill as it talks about the bond between nature and humans. National Award-winning cinematographer Nikhil S Praveen cranked the camera for the venture, which has Sachin Shankar Mannath as its composer and Sreejith as its editor.

Shabdikunna Kalappa was also selected to be screened in International Film Festival of India’s Panorama section in 2019 and last year’s International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala.

This is the third OTT release for Jayaraj this year. Earlier in 2020, he had released his feature film Backpackers, which has Kalidas Jayaram and debutante Karthika Nair playing terminal cancer patients who fall in love. The filmmaker’s Adbhutham, which has Suresh Gopi and Mamta Mohandas as the protagonists, was also released on Roots in April, 15 years after the film’s shoot. The movie is based on a state-assisted euthanasia case in the US.

Both Backpackers and Adbhutham are part of Jayaraj’s Navarasa series, which includes acclaimed movies such as Bhayanakam and Shantham.