“You are not unique. So, work your ass off. You are only what you did last week. If you are not writing, directing, or even making the slightest move towards this aspect, then it is as hard as winning a lottery. Understand Capitalism and your privilege and work your ass off,” replied Krishand, to a comment one of his fans asked, “What is that one thing you would like to say to aspiring writer-directors”, under a Reddit post created by the director himself, on the poster release of his then latest Sun Tzu’s "The Art of Warfare" (Sun Tzuvinte "Sangharsha Ghadana").
“What are your thoughts on the future of independent art-house cinema and filmmakers in Kerala?” asked another fan. “Independent art house cinemas do not have a commercial future (if you value it with money in a capitalist viewpoint)”, he observed. “However, independent art house cinema is an expression, and the capital can be cultural, aesthetic or political. There is no future if the objective is crores, wide reach and fame,” he added.
In an era when cinema is dazzled by commercial viability — profit becoming increasingly prioritised over creativity — there are a few filmmakers who make daring leaps towards creating creative, artistically brilliant, experimental, and bold narratives.
Krishand is one of the front-runners in prioritising artistic expression and social commentary over conventional formulas, without compromising on the monetary aspects of making a feature film. With his diverse storytelling, unique characters, strong socio-cultural and political narratives, realistic yet easily accessible humour and perfectly detailed writing, Krishand has built a ‘cinematic world’ that is layered, sophisticated, mystical, and relevant. He employs a different and unique method of storytelling in each of his films — the mockumentary style narrative in Aavasavyuham or the chapter-wise, illustrative exploration of a 5th-century BC book in "Sangharsha Ghadana". Regardless of the technique employed, the films triumph at building a visually stunning world of characters, plots, humour, imperatives, motifs and gut-wrenching background scores. As a result, plot curiosity drives his movies.
There is an anticipation brewing among the cinephiles about his upcoming venture, "Masthishka Maranam" (A Frankenbiting of Simon’s Memories). The name itself has potentially created pre-release curiosity as to what Krishand is about to cook, shattering his own boundaries. By terming his narrative a ‘Frankenbiting’ — an audio/video editing technique used in reality TV, documentaries, and news to manipulate dialogue by splicing together fragments from different recorded takes into a single, cohesive statement — Krishand might once again become instrumental in creating another edge-of-seat thriller — what was lacking in the Malayalam movies of 2025 compared to 2024: creating movies that really mattered, well-written, uncompromising and universal (a few exceptions aside).
Back to "Masthishka Maranam", the teasers and a rumoured item song have already made headlines, mostly contentious in nature, expressing disappointment with the glamorous costumes and a bold Rajisha Vijayan. The actor has herself clarified that the looks and costumes are script-driven, and it is the necessity of the story. Nevertheless, based on what the director had previously said, these backlashes prove to be bleak and insignificant because niche cinema has always found a growing audience in the southern state. That being said, what is ‘Niche cinema’ and its importance in an ambitious movie industry like the Malayalam cinema? How is Krishand undeniably one of the latest names in building his own auteur world of niche cinema?
‘Niche’ into mainstream: Bridging the gap
Niche cinema is that which targets specialised audiences, subcultures, or specific genres rather than seeking mass-market appeal. Mostly using storytelling, flouting the customs and equipped with newer methods, they focus on unique themes — ranging from arthouse to niche horror — these films build loyal, passionate fan bases, allowing for creative, often low-budget, projects to succeed outside the mainstream. This is exactly what Krishand is dedicated to — constructing a spectacular, thought-provoking and humorous experimental 7th art forms. His humours are often broad and extensive — from accessibly witty, light-hearted social commentary in Aavasavuham, to hard-hitting, loud mockeries in Purushapretham, all the way up to taunting and disrespectful scorns in Sangharsha Ghadana. We can expect much more in his upcoming Frankenbiting memories of Simon. It is his hard-won cinematic school of thought.
Layered, nuance characters
Bespoke, thoughtfully developed script, not only coaxes the audience into identifying the allegory and subtexts that the auteur intends to showcase, but also the significance of the characters. This makes Krishand’s movies engaging, keeping the intrigue intact throughout the movie. Each new character walks into the storyline with utmost ease and blends in so quickly that the audience, for a while, keeps guessing, ‘Who is she?’… ‘Where did he just come from…?’ It is the quality of the characters in an auteur’s work.
Let’s examine two characters from two different movies. Firstly, Joy (played by Rahul Rajagopal), a bohemian, mysterious young man in "The Arbit Documentation of an Amphibian Hunt" (Aavasavyuham), is a direct representation of the fragile yet mystifying “mother nature”, and the fragile relationship between humans, society and the ecosystem. Though viewed by many as an outcast, Joy exhibits several superhuman jobs with deftness - summoning fishes, frogs, other creatures, talking to fellow amphibians and so on. Secondly, there is a scene in "Purushapretham", where a decayed dead body has to be taken out of the gushing backwaters. While police stations of two opposite banks of the lake are quarrelling over the jurisdictional complications on claiming the body, out of nowhere, a marginalised local man named Keshavan (turns out to be the only person available to do that grave task) happily braves towards the lake to handle the cadaver. In the background, we get to hear the iconic rap “Anjaalum pathaalum” by MC Couper.
This gritty, aura-farming scene shatters every convention, every practice brought up in mass-appeal movies. That particular character is given a precise, yet heavy role to play at a crucial point in time, endorsed by the ‘heroic rap song’, for Keshavan represents the under-privileged sections of the society, tormented by the “functionary position” the society gave them. Krishand manifests his abilities in presenting often scorned sections in society — not necessarily human beings — and meticulously spends a considerable amount of screen time for the right moments. This offbeat tendency is not just confined to a character or two, but the entire line of characters in a project.
Ensemble casting
By the time of the release of "Masthishkamaranam", which will happen within a few days, it might have been clear to you that Krishand has already succeeded in building his ‘wild bunch’ troupe of actors for any role requirement. Casting is another important, often left out aspect when it comes to movies that matters. The market value of the protagonists, antagonists and other casts heavily impacts the inflow of moviegoers to theatres and thus plays a significant role in profiting. The Krishand ‘company’ remains steadfast with actors hailing from zero nepotism, mostly underdogs and gritty artists who have made their way to the cinemas owing to their own perseverance. A handful of them have already established their names in the mainstream cinema, like Zhinz Shan, Rahul Rajagopal, Nileen Sandra, etc. Prashant Alexander, who rocked the role as ‘Super Sebastian’ in "Purushapretham", has by now built a cult following.
Other budding actors who tread similar paths, such as Vishnu Agasthya, have garnered sufficient applause for electrifying performances in films like "R.D.X", "Rifle Club" and "O. Baby". Some other honourable mentions include Sreenath Babu and Devaki Rajendran. Reinforcement to the already triumphant fleet is Rajisha Vijayan, Divya Prabha, Ann Jameela Saleem and Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju, along with other acclaimed actors.
From "Utsaha Itihasam" to "Masthishka Maranam" (A Frankenbiting of Simon’s Memories): What to expect
This upcoming cyberpunk sci-fi thriller is expected to explore different genres and themes. If this venture remains as staunch and resolute as its previous siblings, the moviegoers can expect a hooking, dark- humoured and gritty thriller. The audacity of this award-winning auteur was earlier witnessed in many of his works — the Zee5 series ‘Utsaha Itihasam: The saga of the spirited’ and ‘The chronicles of the 4.5 gang’. It is quite unlikely that Krishand might get ensnared by industrial demands and compromise on his hard-won cinematic doctrine, for he is the ‘Crossover Auteur’.
Let’s hope for the former to happen, and if so, this film will undeniably be the movie that bridges the gap between artistically brilliant, impactful craft and commercially feasible mass-pleasing formulas. Let’s hope it sets a benchmark in genre-bending and exploring fresh narrative styles, inspiring many more like-minded filmmakers. The movie is awaiting its wide release in cinemas on February 27, 2026.