PremiumExclusive! Don Max: For ‘@’, we had to research on the dark web and possibilities of future crimes
The movie, which is written and directed by Don Max, will mark the debut of Ayyappanum Koshiyum director Sachy’s son Akash Sen
Last Updated: 09.14 AM, Apr 07, 2022
Editor-turned-filmmaker Don Max completed the shooting of his second directorial titled ‘@’. The movie, which marks the debut of Ayyappanum Koshiyum filmmaker Sachy’s son Akash Sen, revolves around the dark web and is arguably the first Malayalam movie to tackle the subject.
Talking exclusively to OTTplay, Don, who completed the shoot on Tuesday, tells us, “I believe it’s the first time a Malayalam film is exploring that world of dark web.” Dark web refers to a hidden group of encrypted websites that aren’t indexed by search engines and can only be accessible by a specialised browser. The aim is to keep the user’s internet activity anonymous.
“We researched on how the dark web works and the possibilities of future crimes, and have tried to present those details through the film. At the same time, we also have a storyline that people can relate to,” says the director.
On how they went about the research process, Don explains, “It was difficult because not much reference material is available about the dark web right now. We had to make do with documentaries. We have also added fictional elements in terms of how it works and who is operating it, because all of that is unknown.”
While presenting a new concept to the audience requires work, shooting for the film too wasn’t a cakewalk. “The main challenge was that while the actors were performing, we also needed to show a laptop screen because that’s the only way we can communicate what is happening. We had to design an interface for that. Also, actors often had to perform while looking at the screen, which was blank and only had a marker in many sequences,” says Don.
The cinematography team of ‘@’ led by DOP Ravi Chandran also used a RED Raptor camera to shoot the film. “It’s the first time that a South film is being shot with the camera, which allows you to capture slow motion shots up to 600 frames per second,” says the director.
While the initial assumption about a film revolving around the dark web is that its lead character would be someone with hacking capabilities, Don says, “In fact, Akash’s character is the opposite. He’s just a normal IT professional who gets caught up in the world of dark web. We haven’t connected his character with anything related to hacking.”
The movie also has Shaju Sreedhar, Rachel David, Sanjana Jose, Nayana Elsa, Sharanjith and 33 new artistes. On the movie’s release plans, the director says, “The initial idea was to make this as a web series. But we decided to do it as a film instead. Once, we finish the post production, we will have a fair idea on where to release the movie – on OTT or in theatres.”