Blessy Ipe Thomas (born 3 September 1963), best known mononymously as Blessy, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema.[1] He has won one National Film Awards and six Kerala State Film Awards for his feature films Kaazhcha (2004), Thanmathra (2005), and Pranayam (2011). His documentary film 100 Years of Chrysostom (2018) received the Guinness World Record for the longest documentary in the world, with a runtime of 48 hours and 10 minutes. His most recent release was his dream project, Aadujeevitham (2024).
Blessy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Blessy Ipe Thomas 3 September 1963 Thiruvalla, Kerala, India |
| Alma mater | Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | Mini |
| Children | 2, Adith Blessy, Akhil Blessy |
| Awards | |
Early life and family
editBlessy was born on 3 September 1963 in a Syrian Christian family in Tiruvalla, a major town in Pathanamthitta district. He was the youngest of six children born to Benny Thomas and Ammini Thomas. He lost his parents at a very young age. He studied at Mar Thoma School, SCS High School and Mar Thoma College in Tiruvalla.[2][3][4]
Blessy is married to Mini and has two children, Adith and Akhil.[2]
Career
editBlessy learned his trade as an assistant director with filmmakers such as Padmarajan, Lohithadas and Jayaraj. He scripted and directed his debut movie Kaazhcha in 2004. Kaazcha portrayed the story of an orphaned boy, a victim of Gujarat earthquake and how he changes the life of a small-town film operator (played by Mammootty) and his family. The film won three Kerala State Film Awards including Best Debut Director, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, and Best Actor (Mammootty).[5]
His second film was Thanmathra (2005), which depicted the story of a middle-class government employee (played by Mohanlal) and his family, and portrayed the effects of Alzheimer's disease on his life and his family. The film won Blessy National Award for the Best Feature Film in Malayalam and five Kerala State Film Awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Mohanlal).[6]
Blessy's next venture had Mammootty in Palunku (2006), followed by Calcutta News (2008), starring Dileep and Meera Jasmine, went on to be marginal hits. Bhramaram (2009), which had Mohanlal once again in the lead role was another successful film. It was a story of revenge against those that falsely accused a man of murder and ruined his life. His 2011 film Pranayam includes Mohanlal, Anupam Kher, and Jaya Prada. His 2013 film Kalimannu starring Swetha Menon and Biju Menon in leading roles dwelled upon the theme of childbirth and the maternal and paternal connect towards a child. Menon's labor was shot live in the film.[7]
He directed a biopic documentary film titled 100 Years of Chrysostom (2018) based on the life of Christian prelate Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma.[8] Beginning in 2015, it took two years to complete filming. A public screening was held for five consecutive days. With a runtime of 48 hours and 10 minutes, the film received the Guinness World Record for the longest documentary in the world.[9][10] The film is narrated by Mohanlal.[11] His latest film Aadujeevitham is a survival drama based on the novel Goat Days by Benyamin. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role and has music composed by A. R. Rahman. The film's production lasted over 6 years, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Kaazhcha | Writer, director | Debut Film |
| 2005 | Thanmathra | Writer, director | Won Kerala State Film Award, Best Feature Film in Malayalam, 53rd National Film Awards. |
| 2006 | Palunku | Writer, director | |
| 2008 | Calcutta News | Writer, director | |
| 2009 | Bhramaram | Writer, director | |
| 2010 | Easan | Actor | Tamil film[13] |
| 2010 | Best Actor | Actor | cameo appearance |
| 2011 | Pranayam | Writer, director | |
| 2013 | Kalimannu | Writer, director | |
| 2018 | 100 Years of Chrysostom | Writer, director | 48-hour documentary film |
| 2024 | The Goat Life | Writer, director | Adaptation of novel Aadujeevitham |
Awards
edit| Award | Year | Category | Movie | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Film Awards | 2005 | Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Thanmathra | |
| Kerala State Film Awards | 2024 | Best Director | Aadujeevitham | |
| Best Screen Play (Adapted)– | ||||
| Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value | ||||
| 2011 | Best Director | Pranayam | ||
| 2005 | Best Director | Thanmathra | ||
| Best Screen Play | ||||
| Best Film | ||||
| 2004 | Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value | Kaazhcha | ||
| Best Debut Director | ||||
| Filmfare Awards South | 2011 | Best Director | Pranayam[14] | |
| 2005 | Best Director | Thanmathra | ||
| 2004 | Best Director | Kaazhcha | ||
| Asianet Film Awards | 2005 | Best Director | Thanmathra | |
| 2004 | Best Film | Kaazhcha |
- Other awards
- 2006: Kalavedi International Prathibha Award Best Film Maker – Thanmathra
- 2005: Kalavedi International Prathibha Award Best Film Maker – Kaazhcha
- 2005: 15th Ramu Kariat Award - Kaazhcha
References
edit- ^ സിനിമയിലെ രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ബ്ലെസി [Blessy on the politics of cinema]. mathrubhumi.com (in Malayalam). 6 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
- ^ a b "ബ്ലെസ്സി 1963-" (in Malayalam). Malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ Priyadershini S. (29 July 2011). "Small town guy in TINSELTOWN". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "The day Noushad lost his 'sight' was born". News18Plus. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Malayalam News, Kerala News, Latest Malayalam News, Latest Kerala News, Breaking News, Online News, Malayalam Online News, Kerala Politics, Business News, Movie News, Malayalam Movie News, News Headlines, Malayala Manorama Newspaper, Breaking Malayalam News". ManoramaOnline. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- ^ "Malayalam News, Kerala News, Latest Malayalam News, Latest Kerala News, Breaking News, Online News, Malayalam Online News, Kerala Politics, Business News, Movie News, Malayalam Movie News, News Headlines, Malayala Manorama Newspaper, Breaking Malayalam News". ManoramaOnline. 15 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- ^ Ramachandran, Mythily (4 October 2012). "Southern Spice: Blessy lets his films do the talking". Gulf News. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^ "Blessy's biopic on Mar Chrysostom". The Times of India.
- ^ "Longest documentary film". Guinness World Records. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ Sebastian, Shevlin (11 May 2019). "Guinness Award for Blessy's documentary film on Mar Chrysostom". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Prasad, Meera (5 January 2020). "Blessy opens up about record docu-film '100 Years of Chrysostom'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "അഞ്ച് വർഷം മുമ്പ് ആടുജീവിതം ആരംഭിച്ച ദിവസം; ഓർമ്മകൾ പങ്കുവെച്ച് ബെന്യാമിൻ, വീഡിയോ" (in Malayalam). Reporter TV. 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ "Did you know, 'Aadujeevitham' director Blessy acted in a Tamil film?". The Times of India. 30 March 2024.
- ^ "The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011(South)". The Times of India. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2012.