Feature Films
Flying Elephant is producers of interesting and challenging feature films. Our specialisation is to tell the story as humanly as possible. Earlier films were set in India. Even though the way of making normal people act, as opposed to the highly melodramatic acting in Bollywod films, didn’t go very well down in India, it did get notice by the international critics.
Currently we are in the process of developing a feature film set in London.
Ladli Laila, Virgin Goat
Story of a man and his passion...
Please move cursor over the goat.
Unni, Life is all about friends
Unni is a little boy who lives in a village in Kerala. He belongs to the high caste of Nairs. His friends Raju, Ramu and Gopi, with whom he goes to school, belong to the lower caste known as untouchables. The film is about the relationship between the children and the discoveries they make together about the world they live in.
The children play together and make fun of their teachers. Their world consists of Seethamma teacher, whom they call the 'little elephant'; Madhavan, whom they call 'Iliyan', because of his always smiling face; the nosy headmaster, and the PE teacher whom they call 'moustache' and school’s odd job man Chathan.
The film is structured around a series of little incidents, which follow the children's journey through childhood as they try to make sense of the contradictory world they live in.
Unni's mother and grandmother, traditional Nair matriarchs, strongly disapprove of his friendship with low caste boys. Unni finds himself attracted to Sujatha, the carpenter's daughter. He sends her a love letter through a little boy, who gives it to the wrong girl. His teacher Seethamma finds out about his romance and threatens to tell his father.
Unni's father arrives after a long spell of working abroad. Unni cannot even remember him. The children are taught about the re productive system at the school. Unni wakes up in the middle of the night to hear his parents making love. This troubles him.
A magician arrives in the school. His mother and grandmother think it will be a bad influence on him and refuse to let him go. The smiling teacher, Madhavan, lets him in anyway. Fascinated by the magician, Unni and his friends try out his magic in the playground with other little children, with disastrous consequences. The small incidents in Unni's life build towards the climax of the film. Following a domestic quarrel, Unni's close friend Gopi's father kills his wife and commits suicide. He is compelled to discontinue his studies and go to Bombay. Unni's father goes abroad after finishing his holidays, just as Unni started to know him better.
A Story that Begins at the End
Krishnanunni is the descendant of a wealthy orthodox Nair family, whose fortune has now dwindled. But there is still enough to ensure a leisurely life for him, his wife Suma and their seven year old son Unni. Chathan is the head serf of the family. The bond between Chathan and Krishnanunni is stronger than the one between Krishnanunni and his wife.
Everything is going fine until one morning, while shaving, Suma discovers a black mole under Krishnanunni's lower lip. She thinks it is a sign of luck. In an intimate moment, she finds pleasure in caressing the mole. But later one night in bed she wonders if it is contagious and suggests that he should have an operation to remove it. Krishnanunni feels very reluctant because none of his forefathers had believed in surgery. He is unable to change.
Unable to withstand the pressure from his wife, Krishnanunni decides to undergo herbal treatment to remove the black mole which he thinks is creating a barrier in their relationship. From the abandoned articles kept in the attic of the house, he looks for an ancient palm leaf manuscript containing prescriptions of traditional medicines.
Following prescriptions laid out in the palm leaf manuscript, Krishnanunni finds leaves from the hills nearby and applies the pulp to the wart. But it does not seem to cure its growth… it keeps growing bigger…
Photos: Jonathan Page
Co-producers: National Film Development Corporation (India), NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Duration: 90 mins
Premiere: Cannes 2003
Official Selection: Cannes 2003 - Un Certain Regard
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A Dog's Day
Once in a colourful rural province, the ruling Lord granted democracy to his faithful citizens. They celebrated with joyous song. As a token of his good will, the Lord gave the royal dog Apu to his former obedient servant, Koran. Koran and his wife proudly cared for the small dog, admired by all the village...
One day Apu bit a duck, then later a boy. Rumor spread that the Lord knowingly sent Apu amongst the people because the dog had rabies. The peaceful democratic atmosphere of the village was disrupted. The new leader and the disheartened villagers turned against the Lord they once loved and respected.
The province was divided, its future uncertain...
Stills: Franca Cereghini
Throne of Death
Marana Simhasanam
Krishnan and his family who have been seasonal labourers for generations, live in a small island community in Kerala. Driven by desperation because he is out of work, Krishnan steals a bunch of coconuts from his landlord. He is caught, imprisoned, and suddenly finds himself accused of a murder which happened on the island several years ago. The people on the island are shocked. It is election time, and the politicians take up his cause to win votes.
A new technology for killing people is introduced in the country - the "Electronic Chair". Developed with a loan from the world bank, and technological help from America, the chair is seen as the epitome of a glorious death. The islanders and politicians join hands to demand that Krishnan be the first in the country to die by electronic chair...
Stills: Franca Cereghini
Official Selection:
Cannes 1999
Un Certain Regard
Unicornio
This film is an introduction to the magic world of 'A Thousand and One Nights', of Persian miniatures, free interpretations of love, of wine, and of God.
Stills: Franca Cereghini
