Logo Mark of Mindstein Studios
May 2023 Feature Film Malayalam

2018: Everyone is a Hero

2018 (also known as 2018: Everyone is a Hero) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language epic survival drama film about the severe 2018 Kerala floods that devastated Kerala. It is directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, who wrote the screenplay with Akhil P. Dharmajan, and stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain and Lal with an ensemble supporting cast.

As of 15 June 2023, the film 2018 is the highest grossing Malayalam movie till date. It has been selected as India's official entry for Oscars 2024.

Cast & Crew

Directed by
Jude Anthany Joseph
Written by
Jude Anthany Joseph, Akhil P. Dharmajan
Produced by
Venu Kunnappilly, C. K. Padma Kumar, Anto Joseph
Starring
Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Narain, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Lal

About the Project

The movie "2018" narrates how the people of Kerala, India, triumphed over the devastating floods that struck them in 2018.

The film encountered several challenges in authentically portraying these visuals while maintaining the core emotions of the story as its driving force. Visual effects played a pivotal role in this film by aiding in representing the scale and gravity of the floods while also contributing to cost reduction.

Key sequences that required visual effects to enhance the audience's visual experience included the initial storm sequence, the Idukki dam scene, weather effects, the flooded town during the interval, the helicopter rescue, and the fisher-folk flood rescue sequence.

With nearly 900 visual effects shots, the film "2018" had eight South Indian visual effects studios collaborating to recreate the harrowing floods that struck the state of Kerala.

Scope of Work

The opening storm sequence held significant importance as it introduced the main fisherfolk, who later played a crucial role in the plot. This sequence was filmed in a vast water tank specially constructed for the purpose of simulating the floods and the storm. Both boats were filmed within this tank against a blue screen, with real water splashing against them as waves and rain. In post-production, the water's surface was replaced using extensive fluid simulation and set extension techniques. Both boats were recreated as scanned photogrammetry models, then match-animated to interact with the fluid simulations.
Before
After
The Idukki dam sequence depicted the opening of Kerala's Idukki dam's shutters. The sequence began with shots of the dam shutters being opened while reporters covered the event. It then transitioned to shots of a fish being ejected from the reservoir through the shutter, meeting its untimely demise as it struck a rock and floated downstream below the dam. As per regulations, drones were not allowed to fly near the Idukki dam. Therefore, all four shots in this sequence involved recreating the entire dam and its surroundings in CGI.
Before
After
In one of the scenes, a lead characters encounters a cobra inside a flooded house. Other creature VFX shots in the film include fishes, snakes and lizards.
Before
After
The sequence showing landslide under character Shaji Punnoos' (Kuchacko Boban) newly constructed house, was simulated and rendered completely using CGI, with extensive effects simulations for mud, concrete, bricks, and vegetation.

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