When lockdown Led To The ‘Highway to Hell'
Cochin Herald|November - December 2020
COVID-19 curbs helped New Zealand-based Malayali chef and restaurateur Rejoy Antony Paul explore his passion for filmmaking
Deepika Jayaram
When lockdown Led To The ‘Highway to Hell'

For many, the lockdown or a retreat indoors would have meant a life of monotony, but not for Rejoy Antony Paul, who is based in New Zealand. He found an opportunity in adversity by exploring avenues to tap into his ardent love for filmmaking. While for some, it would have indicated redundancy, he saw it as a means of possibility so as to channelise his passion. And, within a few days, Rejoy was already on to deciding a storyline and zeroing in on the cast for his movie titled ‘Highway to Hell’.

Ask Rejoy about how the idea panned out, and he says, “COVID-19 was the main reason for the film to happen. The script of the film was originally written in 2013 by Albin Jaison, who figures among the prominent Ad directors in Mumbai. Being my roommate’s cousin, I had already told him about my passion for filmmaking and he later gave me the script.”

The lockdown eventually became a trigger for him to set out on the same, as he adds, “We were in lockdown for over two months. So, I casually talked to a colleague, who introduced me to a person called Sam. He had finished a two-year filmmaking course in the USA. I gave him our script and he was very interested and asked if he could act in it. Sam then agreed to also act and help with post-production.”

This story is from the November - December 2020 edition of Cochin Herald.

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This story is from the November - December 2020 edition of Cochin Herald.

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