Documentary on writer Zacharia sheds light on his personal and literary journey

Hailing from Urulikunnam in Kottayam, writer Paul Zacharia, popularly known as Zacharia, affectionately recollects its rain, sunshine and shade as the dawn of his literary journey. However, his life is a constant subject of rebirth and reinvention – as a child in Kerala, a college student in Bengaluru and a writer and journalist in India’s capital, Delhi.

Zacharia, a documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Shiny Benjamin about the prolific writer, was screened at Kairali-Sree-Nila Theatre complex in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday (August 18).

The film, produced by Achu Ullatil and K.M. Gafoor, binds together fragmented facets of Mr. Zacharia’s life with his works through animated illustrations by Sunil Raj, while shedding light on his family and friends.

“I feel great joy in seeing my life reconstructed so creatively on the big screen, especially seeing my stories and my life played out in tandem, like a fictional work,” says Mr. Zacharia, whose works include short stories, novellas, travelogues, screenplays, essays, and columns, among others.

A poster of the documentary Zacharia 
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The 81-year-old writer debuted in 1964 with the short story Unni the Child. His most renowned works include Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum, Salam America, Aarkkariyam and Oru Nasrani Yuvavum Goulishashthravum, among others.

In the one-hour-long film, Mr. Zacharia or Skariachan, saunters down memory lane, narrating his encounters with ideas such as misogyny, Christianity and communism, among others. “He has written, travelled and experienced so much. To condense them and present them on the screen was the biggest challenge for me,” says Ms. Benjamin. “It is a 40-hour film that we managed to trim to one hour,” she jokes.

The music of the film, shot by Jebin Jacob, is handled by veteran composer Sarreth and edited by Don Max.

One of the highlights of the film is Zacharia’s encounter with late filmmakers John Abraham and G. Aravindan. The latter’s demise is described as the loss of half his soul by the writer. Mr. Zacharia says, “They made me who I am, and the true objective of this film is to resurrect them through me.”

The film underlines the writer’s philosophy: “I have failed as a writer the moment I cease to reinvent myself with every new work.”