2018 (film)

''2018'' (also known as ''2018: Everyone is a Hero'') is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language survival drama film based on the severe 2018 Kerala floods that devastated Kerala. It is directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, who wrote the screenplay with Akhil P. Dharmajan, and stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain and Lal with an ensemble supporting cast.

The film was announced on 16 October 2018 by Jude Anthany Joseph. Principal photography commenced on 27 May 2022. The film was shot in different parts of Kerala, as well as Tirunelveli and Hyderabad. The filming was wrapped up on 13 November 2022.

Initially set to release on 21 April 2023, it eventually released on 5 May 2023. It grossed over at the box office, to emerge as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all-time and one of the highest grossing Indian film of 2023. On 27 September 2023, the film was chosen by the Film Federation of India as the India's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Plot

In a small town, Anoop, a former military officer haunted by the trauma of witnessing soldiers' deaths, works at a store owned by the visually impaired Bhasi. Anoop's affections are directed towards Manju, a teacher at the local government school, and the two contemplate marriage. Seeking a Dubai visa, Anoop enlists the help of his friend Rameshan, who grapples with a hidden marital crisis. Sethupathi, a truck driver from a drought-stricken Tamil Nadu village, crosses paths with Noora, a TV reporter covering the water scarcity crisis. This encounter triggers a fateful incident, leading Noora to Kerala, where her family faces health challenges.

Tensions escalate among protestors dissatisfied with media coverage, culminating in a violent plan involving explosives. Sethupathi, tasked with transporting materials, becomes a central figure. Meanwhile, Shaji, a government officer overseeing disaster management, grapples with missing fishermen after a severe storm.

Mathachan, a fisherman, and his family play a significant role, rescuing lost fishermen and navigating internal conflicts. Nixon, Mathachan's son, defies family tradition by pursuing a modelling career, complicating his relationship with Jiji, Chandy's daughter. Nixon returns to help his family during floods, overcoming differences with his father. Rameshan's family troubles intensify, prompting his return to Kerala, while Anoop's wedding plans face disruption due to heavy rainfall.

The floods wreak havoc, involving characters like Shaji, Anoop, and Sethupathi in rescue efforts. Tragedy strikes when Mathachan loses his life during a rescue operation. Sethupathi undergoes a transformation, abandoning his initial intentions to contribute to relief efforts by delivering groceries. Koshy, a taxi driver, and a Polish couple seek refuge in Anoop's house during the floods.

Anoop's heroism extends to aiding Air Force officers, saving a pregnant woman, and attempting to rescue a distressed family. He even saves the blind shopkeeper Bhasi. Unfortunately, Anoop loses his life while saving others, leaving a legacy of selflessness. As floodwaters recede, the community honours Anoop's sacrifices with a monument. The narrative concludes with a poignant scene involving Bhasi, the pregnant woman, and her daughter, highlighting the enduring impact of Anoop's actions.

Cast

The ensemble cast also features Ramesh Thilak as Ashok, Rameshan's friend. Vinitha Koshy and Vriddhi Vishal portray a pregnant lady and her daughter, respectively. Joy Mathew embodies Chandy, while administrative roles include G. Suresh Kumar as Anoop's father, Jayakrishnan as the District Collector, and Krishna as the Sub Collector. Other notable characters include S. P. Sreekumar as Joseph, Rony David as Cleetus, and Kalabhavan Haneef as a dam operator. Additionally, Pauly Valsan is Police Constable Mary Thomas, Shebin Benson is Nahas, and Shobha Mohan portrays Rameshan's mother. Sreeja Ravi takes on the role of Anoop's mother, and Boban Samuel appears as a police officer.

Production

Development

The film was officially announced in September 2018 with the initial title ''2403 Ft.: The Story Of Unexpected Heroes'', which was later changed to the current title.

The idea of making a film based on the 2018 Kerala floods came to Jude Anthony when he was approached by an NGO to document the heroic acts of thousands of people throughout the flood, giving a positive message for today's society. As a part of his extensive research, he met with fisherman from Kollam who went for rescue work in Chengannur during that time. He also had conversations with the police, volunteers, army personnel and fire force workers who have assisted in rescue operations. He started working with the novelist Akhil P. Dharmajan on the script initially completing the draft in June 2019 and began filming at a school in Kalady in October 2019. A span of three years was taken to complete the film that had 125 characters and several subplots.

"We all witnessed what happened during the floods. We saw the visuals through the news report. I began to conceptualise the film around the lives of ordinary people, and this is how the narrative began." – Jude. Jude Anthony said that Tovino's character was inspired by a news report that cited the incident of a man drowning during the rescue operations.

Casting

In October 2019, it was reported that the film, scripted by Jude Anthony and John Manthrickal will feature an ensemble cast consisting of Manju Warrier, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Kunchako Boban, Asif Ali, Indrans, and Tovino Thomas. Shan Rahman would serve as the composer with cinematography and editing by Jomon T John and Mahesh Narayanan respectively. However, Jayasurya dropped out of the project to focus on Rojin Thomas’ 3D fantasy thriller ''Kathanar''. Tovino was cast to play a former soldier who had gone AWOL. The portions of the film that had Tovino and Tanvi Ram were shot in 2019.

Filming

Principal photography started on 27 May 2022. Locations span across different parts of Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, and Kollam districts. Tirunelveli and Hyderabad were significant locations outside Kerala.

Jude Anthony and art director Mohandas Pallakkotil discussed the subject in 2019, and it took them years to plot how to showcase the flood and rescue operations on screen. Mohandas Pallakkotil worked on the sets of the film for several months before convincing the makers to portray places damaged by flooding. The decision to have real water to depict the flood was made because of financial restrictions in Malayalam cinema on using high-quality graphics. They began building miniature houses to show water rushing into the houses and raising water levels. The major shots of the flood were done on a 22-acre film set site at Maravanthuruthu near Vaikom. A 2 acre water tank was constructed on the set, filled with water and underwater sequences were shot. 14 houses were built in total, which were then transformed into different houses as per need. Electric posts, plants, and trees were made up of water-resistant materials. The sea sequence featuring Asif Ali, Lal, and Narrain had a boat that was approaching the shore and also a ship, which was generated by CGI, and the other portions were filmed using artificial lights. The airlift scene, which was shot over a span of eight nights. It took them 14 lakh to build the helicopter using construction sets to generate the scene in the film. The scenes were shot from June to July during the height of rainfall to make the background look natural. The scenes that had Idukki Dam were also created using a set. The scene showing a flooded Aluva river was shot in August 2022, where the Aluva river overflooded during that time, and the shots showing actors walking on floodwaters were actually filmed.

The filming was completed on 13 November 2022.

Release

Theatrical

The film was reported to be theatrically released in January 2023, but got delayed. Scheduled for release on 21 April 2023, the film was postponed and subsequently released on 5 May 2023 in Kerala. The Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions were released on 26 May 2023. Anand Pandit released the Hindi dubbed version, which was distributed by E4 Entertainment. The Telugu dubbed version was released by Bunny Vas of GA2 Pictures.

Home Media

SonyLIV obtained the digital rights and began streaming it on 7 June 2023. Apart from Malayalam, it was dubbed into Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi.

Music

The soundtrack and background score were composed by Nobin Paul along with William Francis. The first song "Minnal Minnane" was released on 2 May 2023, three days before the film's release.

Reception

Box office

''2018'' was a commercial success at the box office, grossing over globally, thereby becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time.

13,671 tickets were sold in the three days at the Kavitha Theatre in Ernakulam, collecting ₹18.14 lakh. The film received a warm response in Tamil Nadu. Multiplexes in Chennai were to include additional shows, with the dubbed Tamil version slated for release on 12 or 19 May 2023. The film collected over on its fourth day. The telugu version released in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana grossed over on its fourth day. The film grossed over within one week of its release. The film grossed in its nine days of release. It also became the fastest Malayalam film to earn . The film has reportedly collected from Aries Plex Trivandrum. On its 17th day it grossed over with from Kerala and from other states. On its 22nd day, it reached the mark grossing over ₹75 crore from Kerala State and ₹65 crore from overseas. The film reportedly had a successful run in Karnataka. The film grossed ₹87 crore from Kerala alone making it the first Malayalam film to achieve the feat.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10.

Gopika Is of ''The Times of India'' praised the songs and the background scores, gave a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The quality of the writing shows and Akhil P. Dharmajan and Jude has done a commendable job. Cinematography by Akhil George needs special mention. Add Chaman Chacko's editing and quality VFX, the movie is a good watch." Anandu Suresh of ''The Indian Express'' gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The makers quickly establish that rain is a pervasive and influential character in the movie."

Janani K. of ''India Today'' gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Jude Anthany Joseph's ''2018'' is a film that reminds us of the Kerala floods. It is also a reminder that humanity still exists and how solidarity matters when survival is in question." Jose K. George of ''The Week'' gave 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the cast's performance particularly Tovino Thomas, Sudheesh and Kalaiyarasan and wrote "The movie's tagline says it all. This isn't the story of extraordinary people; this is the story of, and tribute to, ordinary people who became extraordinary because of their willingness to risk their lives for total strangers."

Sanjith Sidhardhan of ''OTTPlay'' gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Aided by a gripping storyline and stirring moments, Jude Anthany Joseph's ''2018'' tells the story of hope and resilience, and serves as a reminder of how the Kerala floods was a great leveller." ''Telangana Today'' wrote "''2018'' is a must-watch film for its engaging narration and superior technical standards. One cannot miss this best presentation of humanity on the big screen." S. R. Praveen of ''The Hindu'' noted "Jude Anthany Joseph's technically solid recreation of the floods is a message of unity too."

Princy Alexander of '' Onmanorama'' wrote "Jude Anthany Joseph's 2018: Everyone is a Hero''' is a well-balanced film that will leave you satisfied, and keep you engaged till the end." Anna M. M. Vetticad of ''Firstpost'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating that "This is definitely not the sort of film that has the intellect to treat with empathy a man's desire to rise above his family's station in life even while judging him for being judgmental towards them." Serene Sarah George of ''Film Companion'' wrote, " In the polarized times we live in, we can sure do with a solid reminder of the power of togetherness."

See also

* List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
* List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

References

External links

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{{Indian submission for Academy Awards

2023 films
2023 thriller films
2020s Malayalam-language films
2020s survival films
Indian disaster films
Indian survival films
Indian thriller films
Flood films
Indian films based on actual events
Thriller films based on actual events
Films about survivors of seafaring accidents or incidents
Films set in 2018
Films set in Kerala
Films shot in Kerala
Films shot in Kollam
Films shot in Alappuzha
Films shot in Pathanamthitta
Films shot in Idukki
Films shot in Munnar
Films shot in Kottayam
Films shot in Kochi
Films shot in Thrissur
Films shot in Tirunelveli
Films shot in Hyderabad, India