Fishers of Men, directed by Indian filmmaker Sanju Surendran, centers on Sreekumar, a vegetarian banker from Kerala. Sreekumar’s contented orthodox life falls apart after a bizarre incident at a party forces him to consume alcohol and fish, triggering an uncontrollable obsession that completely changes his identity, career, and personal life.
Produced by Pramod Sankar, Rajeev Ravi and Kiran Kesab through Cloud Door Films, the Malayalam film is a sequel to director Surendran’s The Case of a Winter Night, which won the High Life Vision Award at Busan International Airport. 2025 Film Festival. The drama fantasy is one of 17 projects in development selected for the 24th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum.
As Sreekumar’s obsessions escalate, he sacrifices his professional security, alienates his family, and descends into a wild, animalistic existence. He eventually abandons his old life and lives by the coast as an eccentric, fish-obsessed mendicant.
Surendran explained his fascination with the subject. “After The Case of a Winter Night, a film about immigration, alienation, and the quiet pain of displacement, I felt a strong need to explore the human obsession. Some people want to go to the edge of everything. They pursue one thing with such single-minded anger that the world calls them fools, madmen, and outcasts, but in that relentless pursuit they often embark on their own personal spiritual journeys.
“‘Kotiyan’ (‘Fishers of Men’) is a film about obsession,” the director said. “Attachment is a one-way street. There is no turning back, no compromise, no side-tracking. Once Sreekumar inhales the first forbidden scent and hunger takes hold, the rest of his life becomes a straight line of no return, towards the sea, towards dissolution, towards what lies beyond the self.”
Surendran explained the thematic focus of the film. “At its core, The Fisherman of Humanity questions the impossibility of absolute purity in society. Whether in food, body, or belief, notions of purity often obscure hierarchies of power.
“Fish in the movie operates in multiple registers,” said the director. “They are mundane and everyday, sacred and ritualistic, erotic and disturbing. They are gateways into the forbidden. Through Sreekumar’s obsessions, the film explores how desire destabilizes identity. His descent can be read as madness, but also transcendence.”
Producers Pramod Sankar and Kiran Kesab outlined their reasons for supporting the project. “We were immediately struck by Sanju’s bold vision, which blends sharp social realism and rich magical surrealism in a way that is distinctly Malayalam yet universally resonant. The screenplay by S. Hareesh is poetic and provocative, engaging with emotion, desire and cultural diversity without giving easy answers.
“What attracted us even more was the film’s ability to speak in a political and poetic language, while at the same time being deeply rooted in a specific socio-cultural context,” they said in a statement.
Producers outlined HAF’s goals. “We are here to secure key co-production partners, international sales agents and completion financing. Our immediate goals are to solidify a sustainable funding structure, build strong festival momentum across key platforms post-production, and expand the project’s global reach.”
Surendran is a National Film Award-winning filmmaker and an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where he studied with Mani Kaur. His documentary “Kapila” won the National Film Award for Best Documentary in 2014. ‘Aedan: Garden of Desire’ won the International Federation of Critics Award at the Kerala International Film Festival in 2018.
Ravi is an acclaimed cinematographer and director who won the Indian National Film Award for 2013’s Liar’s Dice.
The project is seeking funding and co-producers at HAF, which will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center from March 17th to 19th.
