Certain Chapters

Certain Chapters is a short independent Tamil-Language film released in Singapore.[1]

Certain Chapters
Directed byAbbas Akbar
Produced byRaj Maiden
High Breed Media
StarringAbbas Akbar
Elias Mikail
Music byShabir
CinematographyGopal K
Edited byPraveen K. L.
Release date
  • February 2009 (2009-02)
Running time
28 minutes
CountrySingapore
LanguageTamil, Hokkien (Chinese Dialect) & Malay

The film was Abbas Akbar's first attempt at directing and casting himself in front of the camera.

Synopsis

Inspired by a series of true events the film unveils the truth as it is, recreating the unforgiving and wanton world of Indian gangsters in Singapore.

The story revolves around Jegan (Abbas Akbar), who suffers from an identity crisis, unconsciously wanting an image in the eyes of others. He acts upon the words of his mentor and gang leader ‘Hougang’ Veera (Elias Mikhail) who imports radical ideologies into him.

Jegan’s ways lead him to destruction when he causes an innocent man’s death and bashes up a young school boy.[1]

Censors rating

'Certain Chapters' was passed with a censors rating of R(21) in Singapore. This was largely due to the strong depiction of violence and frequent use of explicit coarse language.

R(21) - Restricted to Persons 21 Years and above.[2]

Consumer Advisory - Gang Theme and Coarse Language. (குண்டர் கும்பல் பற்றிய கதை கரு, மற்றும் தகாத மொழி).[3]

Cast

Several members of the cast were previously involved with gang activities and determined to portray their characters as real as possible to deter other young boys from the path of gangsterism.[1]

The cast including director / lead actor Abbas Akbar consisted of 90% first-time actors.

Following the release of the film, Abbas Akbar is concentrating on directing TV programmes and commercials for MediaCorp TV channels.

Several members of the cast have gone on to take acting assignments with MediaCorp Vasantham TV productions.

ActorRole
Abbas AkbarJegan
Elias Mikail'Hougang' Veera
Chris ColumbusKama
Haresh SivagaramNandu
VijayakumarPottu
MayakrishnanThomas
Hareshas 'Himself'

Music

The 'Certain Chapters' team wanted to create a short film that was both artistic and commercial. To do this the team incorporated soundtracks and background scores to the film so that it had elements similar to a regular feature film from India.[4]

The background score and original soundtracks were composed and arranged by Shabir.[5]

The track 'Atthiyayam' is featured on the film's 30sec trailer and is available as a Bonus Track on Shabir's TraffiQ Album.[6] [7]

TrackSongSinger(s)ComposerDuration
1 Atthiyayam (A Chapter) Shabir Shabir 3:09
2 Thavarana Vedham (Misleading Scriptures) Abbas Akbar Shabir 2:10

Film festivals and curated programmes

‘Certain Chapters’ has been building a buzz on the international circuit, having been selected for several film festivals. The film has also been screened upon invitation at several curated film programmes and used as reference material for academic learning at institutions.[1]

'Certain Chapters' scored a nomination for 'Best Short Film' at the 5th Asian Festival of First Films.[8]

India

The Stepping Stones Film Festival, Chennai, India – December 2009[9]

Malaysia

Anything Goes, Anything Shows! Palate Palette Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – October 2009.[10]

Nepal

Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, Nepal – December 2009.[11]

Singapore

Sinema Showoff Experimental Shorts Part II, Sinema Old School, Singapore – February/March 2009[1]

Purnama 2 – A Screening of Short Films, Singapore – October 2009[12]

5th Asian Festival of First Films, Singapore – December 2009.[13]

- Nominated for ‘Best Short Film’ – Abbas Akbar

Singapore Short Film Awards, Singapore – January 2010[14]

Chapman University Singapore - Academic - February 2010

USA

3rd New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest, USA – October 2009[15] [16]

References
  1. Jeremy Sing (10 January 2010). "Production Talk - 'Certain Chapters' by Abbas Akbar". SINdie - Singapore Independent Films Only. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  2. Media Development Authority, Singapore. "Ratings". Film Classification Database. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  3. Media Development Authority, Singapore. "Certain Chapters". Film Classification Database. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  4. Benjamin Nowicki (1 January 2010). "The Cinefile Presents Director Abbas Akbar & Composer Shabir". The Cinefile. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  5. Tashny Sukumaran (19 July 2009). "The Urban Poet". The New Sunday Times, Sunday People. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  6. High Breed Media. "Certain Chapters 30Sec Trailer (New)". Official YouTube Channel - Certain Chapters. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  7. High Breed Media (29 August 2009). "TraffiQ". cdbaby. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  8. Stefan Shih (25 November 2009). "5th Asian Festival of 1st Films - Singapore Entries". A Nutshell Review. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  9. "Sinema Export! Boys On Both Sides of The Camera".
  10. Brian Kwan (October 2009). "Film & TV - Certain Chapters". Timeout Kuala Lumpur. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  11. Administrator (7 November 2009). "List of Selected Films". Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  12. Singapore Malay Film Society (October 2009). "Certain Chapters". Purnama 2 - A Screening of Short Films. Archived from the original on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  13. Businessofcinema.com Team (24 November 2009). "Tamil film nominated Best Short Film at Asian Festival". Businessofcinema.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  14. The Substation (January 2009). "Programme Schedule". Singapore Short Film Awards. Archived from the original on 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  15. Mogana Pillay (3 September 2009). "Certain Chapters - World Class". Tamil News, MediaCorp Vasantham. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  16. Asian American Film and Theater Project (October 2009). "2009 Films". New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-12-26. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
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