My Dear Kuttichathan (1984)

Interesting facts

My Dear Kuttichathan is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language children's fantasy film directed by Jijo Punnoose and produced by his father Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio. It was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D format. With screenplay by Raghunath Paleri, the story revolves around a mystical indigenous goblin called "Kuttichathan" who is under the spell of an evil sorcerer, however it gets released by three children and then befriends them. The film's soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with cinematography and editing by Ashok Kumar and T. R. Shekhar, respectively. It was the debut film of actors Jagadish and Zainuddin.

Production

My Dear Kuttichathan was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D. Jijo Punnoose, son of Navodaya Appachan made his directorial debut with this film. After Padayottam (1982), Jijo decided to direct a 3D film after getting inspired by an article in American Cinematographer shown to him by cinematographer Ramachandra Babu.

To understand the technology, Jijo travelled multiple trips to Burbank, California and bought sample reels of 3D films and held a preview in his studio. Appachan who was thoroughly convinced decided to produce this film under the allocated budget of 40 lakhs. David Schmier worked as the film's stereographer along with the film's cinematographer to ensure multiple images converge for 3D effect.

Jijo travelled to the United States once again where he met Chris Condon, an expert in 3D technology. Jijo bought the special camera lens and after much discussion Chris agreed to assist Jijo in his film. The required equipment needed for the film had to be imported from the United States and Jijo managed to do this with the help of his friend, Thomas J Easaw.

For the 3D film, the makers wanted a universal theme in order to appeal children. Jijo carried the idea of a friendly ghost for years, he sought the opinion of people such as Anant Pai and Padmarajan for the film's writing. Raghunath Paleri came on board as the film's writer, took all the inputs from the experts and created the plot of three kids and a ghost.

S. L. Puram Anand, who worked as a production executive for this film revealed that Jijo wanted to do this film with an entirely new cast. Anand suggested Dalip Tahil for the supporting role. Sonia Bose and MD Ramnoth were cast as child artists. The latter portrayed the titular character.

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