What could be the biggest nightmare for a filmmaker? Is it the premature death of an idea that never sees the light of day? Or perhaps the struggle of lacking the resources and technology needed to bring a vision to life? Could it also be that, despite overcoming countless obstacles, the film fails to find an audience?
There are many filmmakers who endure these trials, but few have faced such despair that they contemplated ending their lives when they saw their dreams shattering. One such filmmaker is Sreekumar Krishnan Nair, also known as K. Sreekuttan. In an emotional conversation with ETV Bharat about his groundbreaking film O' Faby, Sreekuttan reflects on the joy and immense pain this project brought into his life.
Malayalam cinema has always been a trailblazer excluding the Shakeela tharangam (Shakeela wave) in early 2000s. From being home to the first Indian 3D film, the first 70mm film, and the first neo-realistic film, Malayalam cinema has consistently pushed boundaries. But there’s one achievement that remains less known: O' Faby is the first live-action hybrid film made in Asia, long before films like Aalavandhan made waves with similar technology.
Released in 1993, O' Faby was a live-action hybrid film where computer-generated animated characters shared the screen with human characters. A revolutionary concept at the time. However, despite its pioneering nature, the film's release was short-lived. It only ran in theatres for 15 days, as the Malayalam audience of that era was not ready for the experimental film. Overseas releases were canceled, and O' Faby was soon forgotten.
But as tastes changed and new generations of film lovers emerged, O' Faby slowly regained its recognition. It is now hailed as a cult classic, admired by film enthusiasts worldwide, and even discussed by critics on platforms like YouTube. Yet, for Sreekuttan, O' Faby brings back a flood of bitter-sweet memories.
Sreekuttan admits that while the audience rejected the film, the true agony came from the personal battles he fought during its making. During the shooting of O' Faby, he was so consumed by frustration and hopelessness that he considered taking his own life, standing on the edge of Mumbai’s Bandra beach, ready to jump.
Born to the renowned filmmaker M. Krishnan Nair and the younger brother of the well-known IAS officer and writer K. Jayakumar, Sreekuttan's journey into filmmaking was never easy. After working as an assistant director under Hariharan, he made his debut as a director with Pavakoothu (1991). However, the film didn’t do well at the box office, and Sreekuttan was left grappling with failure. He says, "After Pavakoothu failed, I made a vow that my next film would be one that would make the world sit up and take notice of Malayalam cinema."
The idea for O' Faby began to take shape in the 1980s, during Sreekuttan's time as an assistant director. He recalls, "In the 80s, when celluloid was the norm, we saw the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It was a game-changer, a film that surpassed all technological boundaries at the time." This sparked a dream in Sreekuttan’s mind to create a similar film, one that combined animation with live-action. But back then, technology was severely limited, and the idea seemed impossible.
Sreekuttan recalls, "We were all familiar with animated films from Disney and Pixar, but seeing animated characters interact with humans was like stepping into the unknown. It was a massive dream, but at that time, we didn't have the technology that we take for granted today. Back then, filmmakers in India didn’t even know what digital cinema was."
The dream of combining animation and live-action was no easy feat. Sreekuttan found himself grappling with the logistics of imposing animated characters onto a film already shot with human actors. The technology to do this did not exist in India. Every failure in the process felt like a personal defeat, and the mental and physical toll was overwhelming.
He reflects on the enormous technological gap that existed at the time. "Today, even a child can create animations. But in those days, computer technology for film was almost exclusive to Hollywood. Most filmmakers in India hadn’t even seen a computer, let alone heard of digital cinema." He adds, "Everything had to be done on film. Once it was exposed, there was no turning back. You couldn't reshoot or add a digital character into the same frame. It felt impossible."
Sreekuttan struggled for years with the question of how to incorporate animated characters into a live-action film. He sought advice from senior cinematographers across languages, but the answer was always the same: it couldn't be done. Desperation set in, and Sreekuttan admits, "I lost sleep for years, wondering how to make a hybrid film like Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
His breakthrough came when he met Sabu, an IT expert working in the sector, who had made headlines for building a robot. This eventually led to an introduction to Simon Tharakan, an NRI from the U.S., who was interested in producing a Malayalam film. "Simon Tharakan approached me, asking me to do something different. And when he mentioned the idea of Asia’s first live-action hybrid film, I was ecstatic," Sreekuttan recalls.
The technology Sreekuttan needed was only available in the U.S. and Hong Kong, and even that had its limits. But he persevered. With no internet and no proper guides, he scoured American film magazines to educate himself. When it came time to shoot the film, the difficulties only mounted. Without the necessary animation support, he shot O' Faby with only a vague idea of how to integrate the animated character with human actors.
The production was grueling. Sreekuttan’s struggles intensified as the deadlines loomed. He recalls, "I didn’t have the resources or the knowledge. But we kept moving forward, and I began shooting without even a storyboard. I had no clear idea of how to integrate the animated character Faby into the live-action shots."
Many sleepless nights were spent experimenting with animation techniques. When things seemed at their bleakest, he sought advice from Ram Mohan, the father of Indian animation, in Mumbai. "Ram Mohan was furious when he found out that I had already shot the film without consulting an animation director. I was shocked by his outburst," Sreekuttan says.
But after the initial anger, Ram Mohan guided him on the technical aspects of animation. "In the film, everything was shot with the idea of the protagonist interacting with Faby, the animated character. But the timing of Faby’s animation and the human character’s timing had to be precise. That was a huge challenge," Sreekuttan recalls.
Creating Faby required 64,000 frames of animation, and the process was laborious. "The cost of the animation skyrocketed, and the total budget ended up at 75 lakhs, which was unheard of for a Malayalam film at the time," he remembers, shaking his head. "When I realised how much we had spent, my hands and legs started shaking. Every time there was a failure, I thought of quitting, even contemplating suicide."
Despite these trials, the film was completed and released. But the response was not what Sreekuttan had hoped for. O' Faby failed miserably at the box office upon its release. Yet, as time passed, the film found its place in cinema history. "I consider the release of this film as my success," Sreekuttan reflects, wiping away tears. "It wasn’t about how the audience received it. What mattered was that we succeeded in making such a film at all."
"It is a film that tells a story of tears. The attention O' Faby is getting now makes me tear up," he says, his voice filled with both pride and sorrow. "It’s a success born out of pain."
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