Kochi: Jeo Baby is known for his politically loaded and socially relevant films, and whether one likes them often depends on their views on the issues he discusses. However, it would be hard for anyone not to appreciate a story from his childhood, which he shared at the TedX-NUALS 2024 talk series on Saturday in Kochi.
The audience was pleasantly surprised when Jeo recounted his experience of trying to re-edit the Mohanlal-starrer 'Thenmavin Kombath' while he was in high school. He mentioned that he grew up watching films on a video cassette player, and his three favourite films during school were 'Thenmavin Kombath', directed by Priyadarshan, Aravindan’s 'Oridath', and Shankar’s 'Kathalan'. “They were entirely different films, but I enjoyed watching them at the same time,” he said.
Frequent viewings of these films sparked his curiosity about filmmaking early in his life. “I wondered if I could create a new film by changing the dialogues of 'Thenmavin Kombath'. So, I rewrote the entire script and recorded it in my own voice on a tape recorder. Then, I played it in sync with the film’s visuals, which made my sisters laugh,” he recalled.
He also reminisced about trying to juxtapose a famous scene from the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal film with visuals from the Prabhudeva-starrer 'Kathalan'. Another Priyadarshan film, 'Thalavattom', was among his favourites. “I watched at least a portion of it every day during my class 10 exams,” he said.
Jeo continued to describe how his passion for filmmaking grew during higher secondary school and college, where he studied commerce. He learned the basics of shots and scenes from a book by film critic Vijayakrishnan, which he read in his Plus Two class. Jeo first tried his hand at filmmaking as a B.Com student, shooting a short film with a wedding camera as an entry for a campus film festival held in Thrissur. He admitted that the film was poorly shot, making editing a challenge. Fearing embarrassment, he did not want it screened at his college. He briefly considered abandoning cinema but soon made another short film that garnered recognition at the next edition of the campus festival.
After completing his B.Com, Jeo joined St. Joseph’s College of Communication in Changanassery to study filmmaking. Although he excelled in his studies and was recognized as the best student, he had to leave college after being expelled for making a film supporting the cause of homosexual rights. He also shared his struggles to break into the film industry before making a mark with films like 'The Great Indian Kitchen' and 'Kaathal – The Core'.
The talk series, titled 'Musings in Twilight', was hosted by the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kalamassery, Kochi.
