2018 (film)

2018
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJude Anthany Joseph
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAkhil George
Edited byChaman Chakko
Music by
  • Songs:
  • Nobin Paul
  • William Francis
  • Background Score:
  • Nobin Paul
  • Dawn Vincent
Production
companies
  • Kavya Film Company
  • PK Prime Production
Distributed byKavya Film Company
Release date
  • 5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
Running time
148 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Budgetest.₹26 crore[2]
Box officeest.₹176 crore[3]

2018 (subtitled onscreen as Everyone is a Hero) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language survival thriller film based on the severe 2018 Kerala floods that devastated Kerala in southern India, a catastrophic natural disaster that was the worst flood to hit the region in more than a century. It is directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, who wrote the screenplay with Akhil P. Dharmajan and is produced by Venu Kunnappilly, C.K. Padmakumar, and Anto Joseph under the banner of Kavya Film Company in collaboration with P.K. Prime Production. The film stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain and Lal with an ensemble cast. Set in a fictional village Aruvikulam, the plot follows characters from all walks of life as they struggle to deal with the flood.

The film was officially announced in September 2018 by Jude Anthany Joseph with the initial title 2403 Ft.: The Story Of Unexpected Heroes, and was later changed to the current title. The film went on the floors a year after the disaster in October 2019 and got shelved in its budding stages due to various reasons. However, Jude Anthony went on to revamp the project with a new set of actors and technicians. Although the production was paused in 2020 due to the pandemic, but was later resumed around May 2022.[4] The filming was wrapped up on 13 November 2022. The film was shot at over 120 locations including Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kollam, and Tirunelveli. The music was done by William Francis and Nobin Paul (who also created the background score), with editing and cinematography handled by Chamman Chacko and Akhil George.

Initially set to release on 21 April 2023, it eventually released on 5 May 2023. The film received generally positive reviews and became a huge commercial success in the box office, grossing around ₹176 crore (US$21 million) at the box office to emerge as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all-time overtaking Pulimurugan (2016)[5] until it was surpassed by Manjummel Boys in 2024. On 27 September 2023, the film was chosen by the Film Federation of India as India's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[6][7] It was chosen as it addresses a global issue and depicts the harrowing realities of what a natural calamity is for common people. It became the fourth Malayalam film after Guru (1997), Adaminte Makan Abu (2011) and Jallikattu (2019) to be selected as India's official submission for the Academy Awards, although it failed to make the cut.[8][9] It was featured in the 54th IFFI Indian panorama mainstream section.[10]

  1. ^ "2018". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. ^ Bhattacharya, Roshmila. "'We Will Bring The Oscar'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  3. ^ Singh, Jatinder (16 June 2023). "2018 worldwide closing box office collections; Biggest Malayalam film of all time". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  4. ^ Ittyerah, Anna Mariam (21 June 2023). "Ode to Kerala's own superheroes: Survival thriller '2018' is awash with goosebump moments". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  5. ^ Singh, Jatinder (16 June 2023). "2018 worldwide closing box office collections; Biggest Malayalam film of all time". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Tovino Thomas and Jude Anthany Joseph's 2018 is India's official entry for Oscars 2024". PINKVILLA. 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Malayalam Film 2018 Is India's Official Oscar Entry". NDTV. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  8. ^ "'2018' picked as India's official entry for Oscars". The Times of India. 28 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Living Through India's Kerala Floods Inspired Jude Anthany Joseph To Make '2018 – Everyone Is A Hero' – Contenders International". Deadline. 9 December 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Indian Panorama 2023 Announces Official Selection for 54th IFFI, 2023". Press Information Bureau. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via press release.