Living his big dreams

Vishnu Ravi Raj, a Thiruvananthapuram-based filmmaker and an ardent traveller, is going through the best two years of his life. Tape, a horror-thriller short film written and directed by Vishnu has been selected to the Asian Peace Film Festival to be held in Pakistan. But, that’s not just the reason why he thinks he is having a great time. An ardent backpacker, his dream of being a part of Fjallraven Polar Expedition may get fulfilled as it seems he is getting a massive number of votes.

It’s double bonanza for Vishnu Ravi Raj whose short film is selected to the Asian Peace Film Festival. He is on the verge of fulfilling his dream of being a part of Fjallraven Polar Expedition.

“While my short film is going to Lahore, I am hoping to go to the other side of the world,” says an elated Vishnu. “I am so passionate about filmmaking and have been part of a few feature films as associate director. During my studies, I did one short film which was titled You Are, which received positive feedback. Still I was not sure if I would be into it full time.” 

He started filming Tape in 2018. “I had finished the script in 2017 and wanted to do the film with my friends and it was a no-budget movie. I have a wide circle of friends who are also very passionate about films like me,” says Vishnu. Tape, which is 12 minutes long,  is about a haunted apartment. The movie has no dialogues and the background score is enough to bring in the spooky effect. “Since there are no dialogues, there is no language barrier. I think that actually helped us to get into international festivals. I had uploaded the short film on FilmFreeway’s website and from there they selected it to various festivals including the London International Motion Picture Awards, First-Time Filmmaker Sessions, England, The Lift-Off Sessions, FirstTime Filmmaker Sessions, Los Angeles,  Forenzo Serra Film Festival and recently to the Asia Peace Film Festival in Lahore.”  

Vishnu is working on another script which he hopes to make into a feature film and says he will be completing the work soon. But that’s when he decided to join Fjallraven Expedition.

Sitting inside the top 10 in the voting at the moment in the world category, Vishnu hopes to make his dream come true and call this his year eventually. While this year’s Fjallraven Polar expedition voting is nearing its final stage, as always, Indian participants, especially Malayali adventurers, are hoping to get a chance to be part of it. Vishnu says Niyog Krishna, the Malayali who won the expedition in 2018, is his inspiration and he had contacted him for the preparations for letting his name on the entry list.  

 The seed for Fjällräven Polar was planted back in the early the 1990s when Fjällräven founder Åke Nordin met Kenth Fjellborg, one of Sweden’s leading dog-sled drivers. Kenth had participated in Iditarod, the world’s most difficult dog sled competition through the harsh Alaskan wilderness, and this inspired Åke. Over the years, participants have faced everything from blizzards and minus 30°C temperatures to beautiful, sun-drenched landscapes of crisp white snow. For a few lucky people, Fjällräven Polar is the opportunity to test their limits on the adventure of a lifetime.

Vishnu is hoping to get to the top of the voting and says he is all prepared for the expedition if he gets selected. Social media is the major way he is requesting votes and his friends and family are in full support. Voting will end by December and Vishnu, who hitchhiked all over India, says if he is lucky enough to go to the Polar expedition, it will be a dream come true. Anybody can vote for the contestants on the Fjällräven Polar website.