We are not the first to ask George Jacob if his short film The Other Half is anyway connected to the Nanthancode multiple murder case. Going into the depths of multiple personality disorder, the girl in the story enjoys bloodbath. On the other side, she deeply mourns and regrets her deeds that make her confess before the police. Starring actor Aneesh G. Menon and Veda Hrudya Nadendla, the short film has become a talk of the tinsel town with big names lauding the work for its presentation brilliance. Rummaging through innumerous web pages the director stumbled upon a brief story which made him sit up and think about making a film.
“A few more people have asked me if the Nanthancode crime motivated me to do the film, which is not. My intention was to present a stylised psycho-thriller, a rarity in Indian cinema. If there’s anything to be called an inspiration, it is the character Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. Within the constraints of a short film, I had to present the matter convincingly,” says George.
The film leaves enough hints that the female lead, Vedha, is educated and well-settled. When she surrenders at a police station, the sub-inspector, enacted by Aneesh, is already considering a marriage proposal from a girl of her name at the behest of his mother. Haven’t met or talked to her before, he assumes the girl to be the one his mother has found for him. Her confession is looked upon as a prank she was playing at their first meeting. When she sticks to her claims, he sets out with her to the place of crime, that costs him dearer.
“The transformed girl surfaces only upon reaching the crime spot. Even the police officer smells foul play only upon arriving there. Her transformation reflects through the smallest of things. The large frame of her spectacle changes from white to red. Her appearance, costumes, all accentuate the behaviour,” he says.
The director had done research on how people with multiple personality disorder behave. “At one moment, you see in the movie Manichitrathazhu, the Nagavalli in Ganga lifting a cumbersome wooden cot with the ease of plucking a flower. These people are believed to attain certain supernatural strength at this condition. Vedha is capable of dragging the corpse and make a grave all by herself,” he says. Having worked as an assistant cinematographer in Lingaa, this is George’s first short film as a director. His next destination is of course feature film industry.
