Busan Winner's Absurdist Parable 'Fishers of Men' Explores Obsession

Mar 18, 2026 5:10pm PT Busan Winner’s Absurdist Parable ‘Fishers of Men’ Explores Obsession By Naman Ramachandran Plus Icon Naman Ramachandran Latest AI-Realized, Human-Written Microdrama Series ‘Spore Fall’ Unveiled by Singapore Studio Edenstone (EXCLUSIVE) 6 minutes ago ‘Chainsaw Man’ Movie, Mass-Market Campaign and Surging Data Fuel Crunchyroll’s Drive to Make India Anime’s Next Global Powerhouse (EXCLUSIVE) 10 minutes ago As War Drives Viewers to Streaming, Pakistan’s Begin Platform Expands Content Slate and Eyes South Asian Growth (EXCLUSIVE) 26 minutes ago See All Cloud Door Films Indian filmmaker Sanju Surendran’s “Fishers of Men” centers on Sreekumar, a vegetarian bank officer in Kerala whose contented, orthodox life unravels after a bizarre incident at a party forces him to consume alcohol and fish, triggering an uncontrollable obsession that transforms his identity, career and personal life. The Malayalam-language production, produced by Pramod Sankar, Rajeev Ravi and Kiran Kesav through Cloud Door Films, marks Surendran’s follow-up to “If on a Winter’s Night,” which won the Hylife Vision Award at Busan Intl. Film Festival in 2025. The drama-fantasy is one of 17 in-development projects selected for the 24th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum. Related Stories Adam Schiff to Hold Hearing on Hollywood Jobs With Noah Wyle and IATSE's Matt Loeb As Sreekumar’s obsession escalates, he sacrifices professional stability, alienates his family and descends into a wild, animalistic existence. He eventually abandons his old life, living by the coast as an eccentric, fish-fixated mendicant. Popular on Variety Surendran explained his attraction to the subject matter. “After my film ‘If on a Winter’s Night’ which dealt with migration, alienation and the quiet ache of displacement, I felt a deep need to explore human obsession. Some people are wired to go to the far ends of anything and everything — they chase one thing with such single-minded fury that the world calls them fools, madmen, outcasts. But in that relentless pursuit, they often embark on their own private spiritual journeys.” “‘Kothiyan’ (“Fishers of Men”) is a film on obsession,” the director said. “Obsession is a one-way street. There is no turning back, no compromise, no side road. Once Sreekumar inhales that first forbidden aroma and lets the hunger take root, the rest of his life becomes a straight, irreversible line toward the sea, toward dissolution, toward whatever lies beyond the self.” Surendran described the film’s thematic focus. “At its core, ‘Fishers of Men’ interrogates the impossibility of absolute purity in society. The idea of purity — whether in food, body or belief — often masks hierarchies of power. “Fish in the film operate on multiple registers,” the director said. “They are mundane and everyday; they are sacred and ritualistic; they are erotic and unsettling. It becomes a portal to the forbidden. Through Sreekumar’s obsession, the film explores how desire destabilizes identity. His descent can be read as madness, but also as transcendence.” Producers Pramod Sankar and Kiran Kesav outlined their reasons for backing the project. “We were immediately struck by Sanju’s bold vision: fusing sharp social realism with lush magical surrealism in a way that’s distinctly Malayalam yet universally resonant. The script by S. Hareesh is both poetic and provocative, engaging with emotions, desire and cultural multiplicity without offering easy answers. “What drew us even more strongly was the film’s ability to remain deeply rooted in a specific socio-cultural context while speaking in a political and poetic language at the same time,” they said in a statement. The producers outlined objectives for HAF. “We’re here to secure key co-production partners, international sales agents and completion funding. Our immediate goals are to solidify a sustainable financing structure, build strong festival momentum targeting major platforms post-production and expand the project’s global reach.” Surendran is a Indian National Film Award-winning filmmaker and alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where he studied under Mani Kaul. His documentary “Kapila” won best documentary at the National Film Awards in 2014. “Aedan: Garden of Desire” earned the FIPRESCI Prize at International Film Festival of Kerala in 2018. Ravi is an acclaimed cinematographer-director and Indian National Film Award winner for “Liar’s Dice” in 2013. The project is seeking funds and co-producers at HAF, which runs March 17-19 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 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