It’s almost ironic that director Arun Chandu’s Gaganachari, which released in theatres around the same time that Prabhas’ film Kalki 2898 AD, wasn't quite celebrated as the latter, despite being a far superior movie that was made at a fraction of the budget. Those who had missed out on watching the groundbreaking sci-fi mockumentary in theatres, got their chance as the Malayalam movie Gaganachari began streaming on OTT this weekend, and it’s safe to say that it’s one of best films to come out from the industry that is already enjoying a golden year.

With Gaganachari, Arun and his co-writer Siva Sai have accomplished, exactly what young filmmakers have asked to refrain from - ‘making movies with outlandish concepts, because it won’t resonate with the Malayali audience’. Through its post-apocalyptic setting, alien visitor, multiple cinematic references and a trio that a hoot, Gaganachari has managed to impress even viewers who aren’t familiar with the sci-fi genre.

So, it’s no wonder that Arun is all smiles now. In fact, one of the film’s actor, Aju Varghese, who had collaborated with him on all three of his directorial ventures including Sayanna Varthakal and Saajan Bakery Since 1962, had told OTTplay that he once warned Arun the if Gaganachari didn’t work, he might as well pack his bags and “leave to the Gulf”.

Gaganachari director pitched a sci-fi film to Prithviraj Sukumaran

Point this out to the filmmaker and ask him what gave him the confidence of attempting such a movie and he tells us, “The first script that I had pitched to a star was to Raju ettan (Prithviraj Sukumaran). That was a sci-fi film; it was a full-fledged project about an astronaut living in a space colony in the future. It resonated with him and Jomon T John was on board as its cinematographer. I had narrated this to him during the shoot of Ennu Ninte Moideen in 2015. So, even back then I was obsessed with these kind of stories that are set in space. That film wasn’t supposed to be for a longer format; it was more meant for the Seattle International Film Festival. So, it didn’t work out when they asked me to make it longer.”

Arun explains that when he finally stepped into the industry, he tried to do the “so-called conventional films that seemingly more people could relate to”. “I believe I couldn’t execute Saajan Bakery or Sayanna Varthakal to my satisfaction, due to various reasons. So, before I was packed to the Middle East, I wanted to do one film that I truly believed in and that was Gaganachari,” he says.

Though made on a tight budget, Gaganachari is a film that utilises all of its available resources – packing in enough information that at the same time entertains the audience and informs them of the world that is set. But is there anything Arun would have done differently he had a more budget? “I wanted to set the film during the space age. But because I didn’t have the resources to do that, I had to limit it to just clips at the end of the film,” the director laments.

‘We had used the latest AI tools for Gaganachari’s visuals’

The imagery too, though, maximises the viewing experience of the film. Arun says that the latest AI tools definitely helped the film achieve this goal, even though they had wrapped up filming soon after the first lockdown in 2021. “We had some early access to AI technology, and till the release, we were constantly using AI tools to work on the CGI of the film. So, till the last minute, we had the possibility of updating our work using the latest AI. That’s reflected in the film,” he says.

Packed with movie references, Gaganachari seems like a love letter to all of Arun’s influences for getting into a career in films.  Ask him if he relates more to Gokul Suresh’s Allen Jose and he says, “A lot of my longtime friends also said that. Allen is someone who has limited emotional intelligence but geeks out over films full time. I am also a sucker for ‘80s films helmed by KG George and Aravindan. I am someone who loves films with offbeat sensibilities, but at the same time watch other ‘mass’ films as well. I have that contrast, which is also Allen’s central trait. He is someone who would talk about War and Love and Vatsyayana in the same breath.”

‘Maniyan Chittappan is a mix of Rick and Morty and The Mandalorian’

The director has already announced a possible spin-off to the film, Maniyan Chittappan, which has Suresh Gopi playing the eponymous character that was shown as part of a comic book that Allen was reading the movie.

“We are in the process of developing Maniyan Chittappan, which is a mix of the animated sci-fi comedy Rick and Morty and the space adventure series The Mandalorian; so it will be a mix of style and substance. I am also thinking about a simulative climactic fiction,” he explains. “I have pitched it to a few people but it will happen only if people who understand our level of craziness join hands. There’s no criteria that I will only do my next film on a bigger scale or that I won’t go back to doing a film with a shoe-string budget. I think such subjects become more viable when you execute it with a smaller budget. So, I am trying for that.”

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